


Bad Reputation

by ZVArmy



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Drama, F/M, Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 05:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 78,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14731220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZVArmy/pseuds/ZVArmy
Summary: Dean Ambrose and Ronda Rousey are both considered by some to have bad reputations. Does that make them perfect fit for each other, or a bad one? (Dean/Ronda)





	1. Chapter 1

The sound of a door banging shut woke Ronda Rousey up. She immediately wished it hadn't. Her head was pounding, and the simple act of raising it from the pillow made her feel like she was going to throw up.

Perfect, she thought sarcastically. An absolute beast of a hangover, when she had a show to work later. But then, she should have thought about that when she had been at the Wrestlemania after party the previous night, drinking wine like there was no tomorrow.

True, there had been reason to celebrate. Her debut match in WWE had gone better than even she could have imagined. The mixed tag team match pitting her and Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H was considered by a lot of people to have stolen the show at Wrestlemania. Not bad for someone who had never wrestled a competitive match before, and had only a few months of training under her belt.

After the show, there had been the party. Lots of fun with her new colleagues, and lots of wine. And then...

It dawned on Ronda that what had woken her was a door being closed. It had to have been the bathroom door. Someone had spent the night in her room. Who the hell was it? She had been so drunk, actually she still felt drunk, that she couldn't remember.

The toilet flushed as Ronda turned over to look in the direction of the bathroom. A moment later the door opened and Dean Ambrose emerged. Now she remembered, vaguely. She had been encouraged into dancing by Natalya and Charlotte, and she had reluctantly joined them. The next thing she knew, Dean had been there dancing with her. One thing had led to another, and they had gone stumbling up to her room. It all slowly came back to her. They'd had sex, she recalled, but she could remember little about the experience. They had been so drunk that neither of their performances could have been up to much.

"Mornin'," Dean groaned, making his way slowly over to the bed. "You look as bad as I feel."

"Such a charmer," Ronda mumbled, her head thumping hard. "I have the world's worst hangover."

Dean managed a grin as he perched himself on the side of the bed. "Lightweight. What you need is really greasy, fatty breakfast and lots of coffee."

"Ugh," Ronda groaned. "You're not making it sound great."

"It's not supposed to sound great, it's supposed to be a hangover cure. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Slowly, gingerly, Ronda sat up, groaning again as the room seemed to swim around her. "At least one of us does. I can't remember what I did last night, let alone thinking about what to do today."

"I can remember doing you last night," Dean said matter of fact.

"Right," she muttered, not really reacting to his upfront manner. "I, uh, have to ask, did we use protection? I honestly don't remember."

"Yeah," he said with a little grimace. "I was drunk, not retarded. I wanted sex, not a baby Dean or Ronda."

Ronda grinned faintly at his sense of humour. It would have been funnier if she didn't feel like she was dying. She forced herself to move over and sit on the edge of the bed, in preparation for a tortuous walk to the bathroom, where she would likely have to throw up.

"Listen, I can take off if you want?" Dean offered openly. "We were both pretty far gone last night, so if you want to say no more about it..."

"Thanks," Ronda said, appreciating the offer for what it was and considering it for a moment. "But no," she decided. "You don't get to offer to buy me breakfast then back out."

"I don't think I offered to buy it," he pointed out with a sideways grin. "But alright, I'll buy you breakfast, so long as we get moving soon. I'm starved."

"Alright, deal," Ronda agreed, lumbering up to her feet and heading slowly for the bathroom. Sure enough, by the time she made it in there, she was ready to throw up. Knowing it would help her to start feeling a bit better, she didn't try and hold back.

"Not very glamourous," she said to Dean a few minutes later when she walked back into the room. He had to have heard her spewing up.

"Better out than in," he shrugged, obviously not bothered by it. He had gotten dressed while she had been in the bathroom.

"Just give me a minute," Ronda said, hurriedly gathering some underwear and clothes to change into, and taking them into the bathroom.

When she was changed and had run a brush through her hair, she looked at herself in the mirror. Rough as hell, she thought, cringing at the reflection. But she didn't have the time, or, frankly, the inclination to take a shower. That could wait for later, when the worst of the effects of the alcohol had worn off. Walking back into the room once more, she said, "I look like shit."

"Not from where I'm standing," Dean said. There was something in his tone that told Ronda he actually meant it.

Looking at him for a moment, she realised she knew next to nothing about him. What she did know was that he was hot as hell, and seemed to have just the kind of dry humour she liked. She didn't know right now if she wanted more than a one night stand and some breakfast, or if he wanted more than that, but it was worth trying to get to know him a little before making her half of that decision.

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in a rather cheap-looking restaurant run by what appeared to be a husband and wife team. Dean had ordered two identical breakfasts comprising sausages, bacon, hash browns and eggs, with the strongest coffee available.

Ronda eyed the items on her plate with suspicion once the female owner left them to it. It was hardly the most appetising sight she had ever been presented with. Everything looked greasy, and the bacon and sausages struck her as a little overcooked.

"Get on with it," Dean said from across the table, chuckling at her reluctance. He had already started work on one of his sausages.

"It's seriously greasy," she observed.

"Exactly. Hangover food. Believe me, you'll feel better after you've had it. Get it down you."

With a quiet sigh, Ronda decided to take him at his word and eat the breakfast. What was the worst that could happen? She had already thrown up back at the hotel.

For a couple of minutes, they ate in silence. Unlike Ronda, who struggled through the food out of necessity rather than enjoyment, Dean seemed perfectly happy to attack his breakfast.

"So you're done with UFC then?" he ventured in between mouthfuls.

Ronda took a sip from her cup of coffee, finding that at least to be good. "Yeah," she admitted. "I couldn't ever quite bring myself to say as much, but I'm done with fighting. It took so much physical and mental effort to come back from my first loss, then I lost again. After that, I didn't see how I could go again."

Dean took a moment to consider his reply. He could remember hearing about some TV interview where Ronda had admitted to contemplating suicide after her first loss. That seemed like an overreaction to him, but then he hadn't been walking in her shoes at the time, and he knew better than to judge people. He had been in enough negative places over the years to know that no one had an easy journey through life, regardless of how their lives might appear to others. He chose to avoid bringing up that particular topic.

"I get that," he said in an understanding tone. "You'd done a lot there, and I'm sure earned a lot of money. Not a bad idea at all to move onto a new challenge."

"That's what I figured," Ronda said with a solemn nod. "It was a time of a lot of changes for me. I split up with my boyfriend around that time, too, so it felt like I was pretty much starting my life over, and not for the first time."

"I know what that's like," he sympathised. "This job with WWE is the first time I've ever managed to settle into something and live what most people would call a 'normal' life. As if there is such a thing. Anyway, before Vince signed me, there were all kinds of ups and downs. I spent some time living in my car, existing from day to day on the money I made from wrestling in crappy little gyms and sports halls."

Ronda spend a moment eating half of a hash brown before answering. She managed a smile before she spoke. "Sounds like we've both had rough times. I lived in my car for a while too, working three shitty jobs just to try and get by. It was me and my dog, and no one else to give a damn. Honestly, coming through times like that gives you a much better appreciation of what you have when you're better off, like we both are now."

Raising his coffee cup, Dean proposed a comical toast. "To everyone who's had to live in their car."

With a chuckle, Ronda raised her cup in acknowledgement, then drank. "You know, I think you might have been right about this hangover food after all," she admitted. "I'm only halfway through it, and I'm starting to feel better already."

"I know what I'm talking about when it comes to hangovers," he said simply, going back to working on his own meal.

There was a comfortable silence between them for a couple of minutes, until a question occurred to Ronda and she decided to pose it. "Why were you even at the Wrestlemania party? Aren't you injured? Or do they just invite everyone regardless? It's only the second one I've ever been to, after thirty one, so I don't know much about how things work."

"Everyone's invited," Dean replied. "But I would have been there anyway. I've been cleared to compete for a couple of weeks, so I'll hopefully be making my return on the show tonight. Vince said they have something for me, so I'd imagine tonight is the night."

"That's great news," Ronda said with a broad smile. "Being out injured must really suck."

"That's an understatement," Dean muttered, looking down at his plate, which was almost empty already. He had smiled along with her, but then his face had dropped at her second sentence. "It had been a long time since I felt as low as I did for the first month or so I was at home, on the shelf," he said with a shake of the head. "I was obviously not getting to see Roman or Seth, and it's surprising how much it hit me not having their company. You get so used to it when you're on the road together so much of the time, it really left a void when it wasn't there anymore."

He paused, then laughed off what he had been saying. "Listen to us, moping around about how shitty our lives are. It's not how I thought this was going to go."

Ronda had to agree, but she was kind of glad that it had. It felt like the frankness and honesty they had shared about their feelings and their life stories had formed a more substantial connection between them than a night of sloppy, drunken sex had. She decided that if Dean had the inclination to see her again, she had no objection. He seemed like a genuine kind of guy, with humour to go with it. It was true that she imagined there was a wild side there too, but she wasn't afraid of that at all. Actually, she liked that kind of thing in a man. She was a fun-loving girl who liked to have a good time and a laugh, which meant that some people were just too boring for her. Dean wouldn't fall into that category, she felt sure.

Fifteen minutes later, both breakfasts and a second cup of coffee each had been finished. Sitting back in her chair, Ronda had to concede that Dean did seem to know what he was talking about when it came to hangovers. Without doubt, she felt a lot better than she had done when they had walked into the restaurant.

"Not something I'd eat every day by any means, but it did the job," she said with a smile. "Thanks, Dean."

He nodded a simple acknowledgement. "Glad it helped. You know, what I'd like to do is take you out somewhere a bit nicer than this. I'm thinking about dinner somewhere."

"You don't mince your words do you?" she asked with a hint of a smile. She actually liked his upfront nature. He was sitting there with a confident look on his face, like he expected her to accept. He wasn't going to be disappointed.

"Can I choose the place?" she asked, toying with him a little.

"So long as it's not a sushi bar. I hate that stuff."

Ronda giggled. "Alright then, how about an Indian place? I like a good curry."

Dean's eyebrows had raised a little at the request, but he tried his best to take it in his stride. "Okay then, Indian it is."

He wasn't fooling Ronda any. She had to laugh. "You've not had curry before, have you?"

"It was that obvious?" he asked.

She grinned. "It was to me. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll like it."

"The company will make it worthwhile," he replied with a corny grin of his own.

Ronda winced theatrically. "Don't, Dean. I've already been sick once today, and that was enough."

The good-natured conversation continued for another few minutes, before Dean paid for everything and they left the restaurant. As they walked out into the street, attention turned to that night's Raw event.

"I wonder got they've got lined up for you tonight?" Ronda said thoughtfully. "They put the IC title on Seth, and Roman's thing with Brock might not be over."

"Right, so Shield is probably dead again for now. The reunion really ended up being a waste. Between one thing and another, it never got off the ground. I could say the same thing about you, though. Wondering what's lined up for you, I mean."

Ronda nodded slowly. "I really have no idea. I guess we'll find out soon enough, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

By the time she arrived in the women's locker room before Raw, Ronda had pretty much overcome her hangover, thanks in part to the breakfast that Dean had bought her. They had gone their separate ways once they had gotten back to the hotel, having made a vague commitment to have the dinner date they had discussed one night during the week.

Looking around the locker room as she entered, Ronda saw other faces that looked a bit rough. She hadn't been the only one going at it hard at the Wrestlemania after party, and she clearly hadn't been the only one to wake up with a nasty hangover.

"Hey, Ronda," Natalya called out cheerfully, beckoning her over.

Ronda got along well with most of the girls in the locker room, having been no stranger to them even before she signed a contract with WWE. Natalya, though, was a personal friend of hers, having spent several months down in Florida helping to train her in the art of wrestling. Learning from someone so experienced had been invaluable, and the two women had hit it off personally too.

"Hi, Nattie, how are you?" Ronda said pleasantly, setting her travel case in front of the empty locker next to the Canadian's.

"Really good, thanks. Surprising, after last night. I was struggling a bit this morning."

"Me too," Ronda smiled. "A fried breakfast helped me out. I'm over the worst of it now."

The locker on the other side of Ronda was being used by Becky Lynch. Since it was the Raw after Wrestlemania, the rosters from both Raw and Smackdown were in attendance.

"We have news," Becky announced.

"Oh?" Ronda enquired.

"There's going to be what they're calling a superstar shakeup next week. They're having Kurt announce it tonight."

"Awesome," Ronda said excitedly. "I can't wait to see who they send where."

"We're both hoping we get to come over here to Raw," Natalya said. "We could both use a bit of a fresh start."

"Yeah, it's starting to get a bit old never having a storyline or anything," Becky added.

Ronda nodded her agreement. "I hear that. I don't understand why they've not been giving you anything. Personally, I'd love to work with you."

Becky smiled. "Thanks, I appreciate that. Let's hope we get the chance at some point. Maybe an armbar versus Dis-arm-her match?"

"I'd be up for that. But there would be only one winner," Ronda added with one of her biggest smiles.

"Yep. And beating Ronda Rousey would be a big deal for me," Becky said deadpan.

Standing beside them, Natalya giggled, enjoying the friendly banter.

"Honestly, what I'm eager to find out is what's next for me," Ronda said. "I mean, I got the win over Steph last night and the match seemed to go over quite well, but I've been told nothing about where we go from here."

"Seemed to go over quite well?" Becky asked, sounding like she was trying to figure out if Ronda was for real. "Girl, that match was the highlight of the night. The crowd was on fire the whole time. I've hardly ever seen anything like it. There were people totally losing their minds when you were going after Triple H."

Ronda felt humbled by the high praise. "I have to say, it was such a rush getting that kind of reaction. I think people actually thought I was going to tap out Hunter for a moment."

"Yeah, I was one of them," Sasha Banks said, walking over to join them. She had a copy of the formats for Raw in her hand. She held up the stapled sheets of paper and asked Ronda, "Have you seen the plan for tonight yet?"

"No, only just walked in," Ronda said. Of all the people on the Raw roster, Sasha was the one she felt most distant from. While they had never had an issue of any kind, Banks had made no particular effort to get to know Ronda, or to make sure she felt welcome, as most of the other girls had. That was up to her, though. Ronda wasn't going to make a big deal of it.

"Well, they've got Angle announcing that it's me and you at Backlash. We're both involved in the promo. I just wanted to come and see you before we got started on this thing and say that I have no objection to being your first singles opponent. However, I also want to say that, since you're almost certainly going to be the one going over, I'm not simply here to do a job for you. I'm not an enhancement talent. Both of us need to get something out of this program."

Natalya spoke up before Ronda could get a word in, not sounding all that pleased with Sasha's abrupt attitude. "Give her a break, Sasha. You just said yourself this is her first singles rivalry. You should be helping her and making sure everything goes smoothly, not throwing your weight around."

"How am I throwing my weight around?" Sasha objected, more than a hint of confrontation in her tone.

"Alright, let's all cool it, shall we?" Ronda suggested, wanting to diffuse things before anyone started getting hot under the collar. "Sasha, I've got no problem at all making sure we both get something out of this. I wouldn't want to turn up at Backlash and beat you in thirty seconds or something. People might have loved that kind of thing in UFC, but this isn't UFC. I'm here to try and put on good quality wrestling matches, the same as the rest of you guys."

Becky nodded. "Well said."

Banks still didn't seem overly impressed, however she didn't labour the point any further. "Okay then. I'll see you out there." With that, she walked back across the room to her locker, next to Bayley's.

"What's her problem?" Ronda quietly asked Becky and Natalya. "It's not like I'm going to go to Vince and tell him I want to bury her. Or that he would listen to me if I did, come to that."

"That's Sasha for you," Becky said with a shrug. "Some days she'll be one of the most fun people to be around. Other times, she'll have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed and you'll get BS like that from her. You'll get used to it soon enough. I've never had a problem with her in the ring, and that's what really matters."

"Right," Ronda said quietly. Never lacking in confidence, she certainly wasn't reluctant to work a program with Banks. But part of her still wished Vince had put her with someone a little easier to get along with for her first run. But, she reasoned, there was nothing she could do about that. Her job was simply to go out to the ring and do a promo segment with Kurt and Sasha. Sitting down on the bench in front of her locker, she started to read over the summary of what was required from her on that night's show.

* * *

_Monday Night Raw – April 9th 2018_

Kurt Angle opened the show in front of the traditionally raucous Raw after Wrestlemania crowd, to a rapturous reception. He began with the announcement of the superstar shakeup, which would be taking place over the course of the Raw and Smackdown episodes the following week.

With than announcement made, Kurt moved on to talking about his match at Wrestlemania, where he had teamed with Ronda Rousey to beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Ronda had gotten the decision by submission, after locking Stephanie in an armbar.

"It was a huge honour to stand victorious in the ring at Wrestlemania once again," Kurt said proudly. "I couldn't have done it without my partner, though. Last night, she outperformed even my incredibly high expectations to steal the show, in her first ever professional wrestling match. I'd like to bring her out now, so please welcome, Rowdy Ronda Rousey!"

The crowd cheered loudly as Angle pointed to the stage and Bad Reputation began to play. Smiling broadly, Ronda walked out onto the stage, to the biggest reaction she had received so far in her brief WWE career. She made her usual entrance, slapping hands with as many of the fans standing alongside the ramp as she could.

Once Ronda entered the ring, her music faded out and was replaced by a chant of "Ronda Rousey!" She hugged Kurt, then looked around at the excitable crowd with a dazzling smile on her face, loving and appreciating the support.

"Now, Ronda," Kurt said, also smiling. "As we all saw last night, you made Stephanie McMahon tap out with an armbar. I can reveal now that Stephanie suffered a dislocated elbow and ligament damage as a result of that hold. Her injury will require surgery, so it'll be some time before we see her back here on Raw."

Kurt and Ronda exchanged some private words, and Ronda laughed at the fact that the fans were chanting "Yes!" at the news of Stephanie's injury.

"However," Kurt went on, "Ronda, I have to inform you that after Wrestlemania was over last night, Stephanie made a decision about your next match, and your next opponent." He turned away from Ronda to look directly into the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to announce that Ronda Rousey will be having her first singles match in WWE at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view."

As the crowd cheered again, Ronda was shown nodding her approval of that piece of news.

"And, Ronda, as far as your opponent is concerned, as Stephanie put it, you'll be going from facing one boss to another when you take on none other than Sasha Banks!"

There was another cheer from the crowd as the commentary team hyped up the match that had just been announced. Ronda nodded again, looking like she appreciated the challenge that had been set for her. She raised her microphone and spoke for the first time.

"Kurt, it was my pleasure, and an amazing experience to share the ring with you last night at Wrestlemania, and it was definitely a pleasure to kick Stephanie McMahon's ass and damn near break her arm." She paused while the fans cheered. "And it will also be my pleasure to wrestle Sasha Banks at Backlash. I look forward to it."

"That's good," Kurt said with a smile. "Once I found out about the match, I decided that what I wanted to do was add a stipulation to it, to make it an even more momentous occasion than it would already have been. Therefore, I'm delighted to announce that…"

Kurt was interrupted by Sasha Bank's music hitting. There was another cheer from the crowd, while Ronda and Kurt turned to look at the stage.

"Quite a twenty four hours for Sasha Banks," Corey Graves said after Michael Cole had made his usual cringe-worthy comment about it being Boss time. "Last night, Sasha was eliminated from the women's battle royal by her supposed friend, Bayley. It was an act of betrayal, and I would imagine Banks is rightfully angry about it."

"Let's not pretend that was the first incident between Sasha and Bayley," Coach said. "There have been problems between those two ladies for months now. Last night was just the latest example."

"I'm no body language expert," Cole said, "But Sasha doesn't look happy at all to me."

Sasha entered the ring and took a microphone. She wasted no time getting straight to the point as soon as her music faded, addressing Angle and ignoring Ronda. "Kurt, no offense, but I have no interest in wrestling Ronda Rousey at Backlash. The event is called Backlash, and I have someone in mind who needs some backlash from me after last night. Bayley stabbed me in the back and eliminated me from the women's battle royal, which I would otherwise have won. I want Bayley at Backlash."

"Well, you're not going to get Bayley at Backlash, you're facing this woman right here," Kurt said, gesturing to Ronda, as if to remind Sasha that Rousey was there in the ring with them.

"I don't want to face Ronda Rousey," Sasha fired back, getting heated about it. "I don't  _care_  about Ronda Rousey, and I don't care about this match you're talking about."

Ronda was shown looking less than pleased by that final comment as the fans also reacted to it as if they found it insulting.

"If I was you, I'd start caring about the match," Kurt advised strongly. "Because what I was about to say before you interrupted was that the winner of your match at Backlash will be the first woman to qualify for the following month's women's Money in the Bank ladder match."

"Woah!" Cole exclaimed over another cheer. "That's a blockbuster announcement. Either Ronda Rousey or Sasha Banks will compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match."

Annoyed, Ronda stepped forward, squaring up to Sasha. "And you want to start caring about Ronda Rousey, because when you're standing across the ring from me at Backlash, you can bet your ass I'll be caring about you. I'll be caring about you, and I'll be caring about qualifying for the Money in the Bank match."

The two women stood nose to nose for a moment, glaring into each other's eyes, intensity written all over both of their faces.

"Ladies, how about we save it for Backlash?" Kurt suggested, tactfully interjecting himself between them, making them both take a step back. "As for tonight, Sasha? You came out here all fire and fury saying you wanted to get your hands on Bayley after what happened last night at Wrestlemania. My advice to you is don't be so hasty to throw away a long term friendship. I think the two of you would be better served by trying to work out your differences. Therefore, we will see the team of Sasha Banks and Bayley take on Absolution, tonight, on Monday Night Raw!"

As the commentators talked up that encounter and Angle's music began to play, Ronda took the moral high ground by turning and leaving the ring.


	3. Chapter 3

"You look incredible," Natalya told Ronda, standing behind her friend as they both looked in the mirror in Ronda's hotel room. It was Wednesday night, and Natalya had spent most of the last hour applying makeup for Ronda, in preparation for her date with Dean. Both women were more than satisfied with the results.

"Thanks, Nattie," Ronda said with a broad smile. "You've done your best to make me look at least presentable."

"Oh, shut up," Natalya said, giving her a playful slap on the shoulder. "You'll knock Dean dead the second he sees you."

While some people might have been reluctant to tell anyone that they were going on a date with a colleague, especially with the way people liked to gossip in the WWE locker rooms, Ronda hadn't hesitated to tell Natalya about the night she had planned with Dean. Firstly, she trusted her friend implicitly not to go shouting her mouth off, and secondly, in any event, Ronda wasn't the type of person to care all that much about what others had to say about her behind her back. She'd had what seemed like a lifetime of shit talking come her way while she had been signed to UFC. The experience had left her with quite a thick skin.

"You think so?" she asked, hoping that Natalya's assessment was accurate. It had been a while since she had been on a date, so she wanted to do her best to make it a success.

Natalya had stepped away to pick up Ronda's leather jacket from where it had been draped over the back of a chair. "I know so," she said as she handed it over.

"Everyone needs at least one friend like you, Nattie," Ronda said warmly. "You're the best."

"My pleasure," Natalya said sweetly.

Ronda put her jacket on, leaving it open to show the light grey t-shirt she had on underneath it. Her simple look was completed by a pair of jeans and studded black biker boots. "I'm all set," she announced.

They left the room together and walked towards the elevators, where they parted ways. Telling Ronda to have a great night, Natalya continued along the hallway towards her room. A minute later, the elevator reached the ground floor and Ronda stepped out into the lobby, where Dean had arranged to meet her.

She knew she was running a little late, which was why she found Dean sitting on one of the expensive couches, waiting for her. He was also wearing jeans, along with a light blue polo shirt and a smart pair of black shoes.

He stood up to greet her, a warm smile on his face. "Hey. You look great," was his opener.

"Thank you, you too," Ronda said as she approached him, returning his smile. She had kind of expected him to go for a peck on the cheek, but he didn't. It amused her to think that a little touch like that might not have even entered his head. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long?" she asked.

"Nah, just got here," he said. "But I did have time to put the name of the Indian restaurant you suggested into Uber." He held up his phone as if what he had described was a significant achievement, amusing Ronda for the second time already. "I can get us a ride now?" he suggested.

"Sure," she said pleasantly, and they began walking across the lobby towards the hotel's entrance.

Fifteen minutes later, they had just taken seats at a table in the Indian restaurant and had ordered drinks. While Dean had opted for a beer, Ronda had chosen to go for fruit juice. The memories of Monday's awful hangover were fresh enough to make her want to steer clear of alcohol.

"You might have to help me out with this," Dean said, looking up after a cursory glance at the menu. "I haven't got a clue what I might like."

Ronda grinned at him across the table. "I still can't believe you've never had curry."

He shrugged. "I grew up on those frozen TV dinner things, and that was if I was lucky. My tastes never really expanded from there, and they're never likely to, travelling with Seth. That dude is the fussiest eater I've ever seen."

Still grinning, Ronda said, "Well, the first question is, do you like spicy food?"

"Yeah, I don't mind going for something hot. Actually, I'd like to try something hot."

"Alright, but be careful," Ronda warned. "Hot curries really are hot. They're too much for me."

"What's likely to be the hottest one on here?" he asked, looking back at the menu.

"Probably the Sixty-Five," she replied before reading the description aloud. "Spicy dish marinated with ginger, garlic, red chillies and vinegar."

"That sounds like the one," Dean said, up for the challenge.

Ronda giggled. "Famous last words. But if that's what you'd like, you need to choose if you want it with chicken, lamb, shrimp or fish."

"Lamb, I think. What about you? What are you going for?"

"Hmm," she pondered. "Maybe a Saag. The sautéed spinach one. I'll get it with chicken, I think."

"Alright," he nodded. "What about appetisers? Should we bother?"

"I was thinking we might skip appetisers and order a non-curry main to share, in case you don't like yours, maybe?"

"Not a bad idea," Dean said, turning to the menu's next page.

"I was thinking something like Tandoori Chicken," she suggested. "Trust me, you'll like it."

"Okay, I'll trust you," he said with a crooked smile.

Shortly, their server returned with their drinks and took their order. Ronda added some Naan bread to the items they had already discussed. Once they had been left to it, she was the one to start conversation.

"I was really surprised they brought you back as a heel. I think it'll be great, but still, I was surprised."

Dean sipped from his beer glass. "Me too, I guess. Although I had been hoping for a turn for some time. I think I can bring out the best of Dean Ambrose now. It was good that they had me beat the crap out of Seth on Raw. That was the perfect way to do it, considering how over he is right now."

"Yeah," Ronda agreed. "Some of the reactions he's getting lately are insane. Not that he doesn't deserve it, of course. Now that he's got the IC title, I can see that becoming the title that matters on Raw."

"I think so, too. That's why I'm happy to be in the picture for it." Dean paused for a second. "So, what about you? How long before your turn?"

Ronda raised her eyebrows. "You sound pretty sure I'm going to get a turn."

"It seems so obvious to have you as a heel, at least to me," Dean said after another sip. "I mean, everything about you and your character says heel. Even your theme music says heel. You're coming out to a song that says, 'I don't give a damn about my bad reputation', yet you don't have a bad reputation in WWE. They've got you smiling and high fiving people on your way to the ring. I used to watch you in UFC, with that look on your face on the way out to fight. It scared the shit out of me, let alone the chick you were fighting."

Ronda laughed while Dean went on. "What I'm saying is, where's that Ronda? Where's that scary, mean-looking face? Where's the girl with the bad attitude? Why are they holding back on all of that? I don't get it."

The way Dean had suddenly started speaking so passionately about her character had Ronda laughing happily. She had a keen sense of humour, and liked a guy who could make her laugh. She was already noticing that even small things Dean did had that effect on her, and she enjoyed it a lot.

"I can understand why they started me out as a face," she said reasonably. "Without wanting to sound like I have a massive ego, I was a huge signing for them. They were never going to want to bring me in with the fans against me from the start."

"That makes sense," Dean acknowledged. "But you're in now. You've been here a couple of months and you've done your first program, with Steph. I'd turn you heel if it was my call."

"So you like a mean girl, huh?" Ronda teased, steering away from talking shop, even though she was the one who had started it.

Dean laughed heartily, the first time Ronda had heard him do so. "Even better, one who could kick my ass."

Now Ronda laughed. "Then I'm your girl."

Grinning, Dean worked on his beer again. Then it was his turn to take the lead in the conversation. "What about when you're not beating people up or drinking wine like it's water? What else do you enjoy doing?"

"I'm a huge nerd," she replied without a hint of embarrassment. "I like playing video games; I actually bring a laptop on the road with me for gaming. I also watch cartoons and anime. So yeah, you're talking to a real geek."

"Geeks can be hot... apparently," Dean said gesturing to her to indicate that she proved the point.

As she drank some of her fruit juice, Ronda snorted a laugh. "Oh, God. That's one of the corniest things ever. But I love it. Okay then, same question back at you. What do you do with your free time?"

"I have two hobbies for what little free time I get. One you might guess, the other one you definitely won't."

"Oh, I get to guess?" Ronda asked with excitement. "Now, what hobby would Dean Ambrose have that he would think I might be able to guess? Hmmm." She thought for a moment. "I'm going to say you like to ride bikes. Maybe you have a big ass Harley or something?"

"That's not a bad guess," he acknowledged after finishing most of the rest of his beer. "Actually, I like to buy old cars and restore them. In addition to being a very enjoyable pastime, there's money in it if you know what you're doing."

The conversation had to stop there because the server arrived with their meal. After all of the plates had been set on the table in front of them and Dean had ordered another beer, Dean eyed his curry suspiciously. "It's not the nicest meal to look at."

"Maybe not, but it's nice to eat," Ronda said with a smile. With that, she started work on her own food.

A little tentatively, Dean tried his first mouthful.

"Any good?" Ronda asked, genuinely hoping he liked it. Indian had been her idea, and it would take a bit of the shine off of what had been an enjoyable date so far if he didn't like the food.

"Hmmm," he said appreciatively. "Hot, but not too hot for me." He glanced over at the plate of Tandoori Chicken that they had also ordered. "That looks nice, too."

"Yeah, you'll love it," she said confidently. "So, this second hobby, the one I won't be able to guess. Spill."

Dean grunted a laugh. "It's actually something Seth, Roman and I all do together."

"Do I even want to know?" Ronda said, making it sound like the innuendo she had intended.

He laughed again. "I think there are a lot of chicks who would get off on that kind of thing. But no, what I'm talking about is golf. We often get a round in when we have a day off."

Ronda's eyebrows had raised in surprise. "No wonder you said I wouldn't guess. I totally don't see you playing golf."

"Yeah, well, neither did I when the guys first tried talking me into joining them. And to begin with, I didn't enjoy it all that much. I sucked. But Roman in particular convinced me to keep at it, and now I'm not too bad. I enjoy just walking around and having a laugh with the guys as much as playing the game. But yeah, now you know, Dean Ambrose plays golf."

Ronda started on one of the Tandoori Chicken pieces. "Try one of these," she suggested before returning to the subject. "Dean Ambrose plays golf. And guess what? Ronda Rousey plays golf too."

Dean froze for a second, his hand halfway to the plate with the Tandoori Chicken on it. He looked like he was trying to detect a lie, or maybe a joke coming his way. "For real?"

"For real," she promised, amused by his reaction. "I got into it after the first fight I lost. A friend recommended it as away to relax as well as exercise. I'm not sure how relaxing it is for me – I'm too competitive – but I do enjoy it."

While she had been talking, Dean had tried the chicken. "That's really nice," was his verdict. "Who would have thought golf would be a common interest for us? You'll have to join us next time we play. If you want to, I mean."

"Sure, why not," she agreed easily.

The pleasant chatter continued throughout the meal, and in the Uber ride back to the hotel. Ronda considered the date to have been a resounding success, and felt like she didn't want the night to end when the elevator reached her floor.

"Usually, I don't go any further than a kiss on a first date," she said coyly. "But we've already been a lot further than that."

"That an invite to your room?" Dean asked, leaning down slightly to kiss the side of her neck. He nibbled softly at her skin, just enough to let her feel it.

"Yes, it is," she purred.


	4. Chapter 4

_WWE Backlash – May 6th 2018_

The video promo package for the Banks – Rousey match naturally included snippets of the verbal altercations they'd had over the past few weeks. In addition, it showed Ronda in action at Wrestlemania, and recapped the ongoing issues between Sasha and Bayley.

Sasha's music was first to play. As she walked out onto the stage, Cole made his traditional awful introduction.

"Guys, we're about to see Sasha Banks meet Ronda Rousey, in Rousey's first one on one match," Coach said. "But, honestly, I think there are bigger problems between Sasha and Bayley than between Sasha and Ronda. The former best friends have really been at each other's throats since Wrestlemania."

Sasha had walked down the entrance ramp while he had been speaking. At the bottom of the ramp, a stand had been erected. On it stood the women's Money in the Bank briefcase – white with green lettering.

"You saw there, Sasha Banks taking a quick look at the Money in the Bank briefcase," Graves said. "Like the rest of us, Banks just got her first look at this year's briefcase. Gentlemen, Kurt Angle added a stipulation to this match, and it was a big one."

"That's right," Cole agreed. "The winner of this contest will guarantee themselves a spot in the women's ladder match at next month's Money in the Bank event, where the briefcase will be up for grabs. Whoever wins it gets a guaranteed championship match whenever they want, so long as a referee is present."

Coach said, "And you've got to believe that stipulation has Sasha's attention right where it should be; not on Bayley, but on Rowdy Ronda Rousey."

Having completed her entrance, Sasha's music faded out. After a moment, Bad Reputation began to play, drawing a nice, if unspectacular ovation from the crowd. It was better than the reaction Sasha had received, which had bordered on indifference.

"Here we go, guys," Cole said excitedly as Ronda walked quickly out into the arena, smiling and waving to the fans. "For the first time, we're about to see Ronda Rousey wrestle a singles match. I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"I think everyone has," Graves said. "And we all heard what Ronda said last week. Look at her glance at the briefcase on her way by. She said that Sasha Banks is standing in between her and a spot in the women's Money in the Bank match, and standing in Rowdy Ronda Rousey's way is not a good place to be."

"Stephanie McMahon found that out at Wrestlemania," Coach agreed. "She got on Rousey's bad side and ended up with a dislocated elbow, and we haven't seen her since. Does the same fate await Sasha Banks here?"

Ronda entered the ring and stood limbering up in her corner. Happy that both women were ready, the referee called for the bell.

"Woah, look at Banks go!" Cole called as she literally sprinted across the ring, taking Ronda by surprise. "Banks hammering away with right hands, backing Rousey into the corner!"

A headbutt followed the barrage of right hands, and Ronda went down, slumped in a sitting position in the corner.

Wanting to capitalise on the advantage she had secured for herself, Sasha backed off to the opposite corner, then sprinted back across to deliver a double knee attack to Ronda's head.

"Banks really on a roll!" Coach said, clearly impressed. "One thing I didn't expect to see was Ronda on the back foot from the start, yet that's what's happening."

Sasha wasn't going to give Ronda a moment to get out of the starting blocks. Banks, almost frantic, stood there stomping the hell out of her opponent.

After her great start, Sasha had the upper hand for most of the first half of the match, only having to fend off a couple of attempted rallies from Ronda.

Eventually, Banks lowered her head a little too soon on an attempted back body drop and paid for it with a kick to the face. It was the start of a shift in momentum, with Ronda now taking charge and dominating for the next five minute period, getting several near falls along the way.

The fans had been behind Ronda from the start, which explained why they booed Sasha for sticking a thumb in Ronda's eye in desperation, moments after the referee had inadvertently been knocked down by Rousey.

Using her unfair advantage, Sasha hit a combination of three vertical suplexes known as The Three Amigos.

"Rousey is slow to get up, and Banks is heading for the top rope," Cole called. "High risk manoeuvre coming up!"

Ronda got back to her feet, groggily turning to face Sasha. Banks came off the top rope and hit another double knee strike.

"No cover," Graves pointed out. "I don't understand that at all. Sasha might have had the match won, but it looks like she's heading back to the top rope."

"I don't think Banks thought that would be enough to keep Rousey down, and in any case the referee is still out. But Sasha's going for it!" Coach cried as she leapt into the air for a frog splash.

At the last moment, Ronda was able to get her knees up to protect herself from the finishing move.

"Oh! Banks took a big gamble, and it didn't pay off!" Graves exclaimed. "Rousey got her knees up! Now we have both women and the referee down in the ring. Maybe it's a good thing there's no official because I don't know what would happen if this thing ended in a double count out."

The fans started cheering, and those visible in the camera shot could be seen looking in the direction of the stage.

"Wait, there's Bayley!" Cole shouted. "Bayley running to the ring!"

On the way past the stand at the bottom of the entrance ramp, Bayley grabbed the brand new Money in the Bank briefcase.

"Bayley's coming for Sasha, and the referee is down!" Graves yelled.

Both Sasha and Ronda were struggling to get back up. Sliding into the ring, Bayley lunged at Banks with the briefcase, aiming for her head. However, Sasha was able to duck out of the way, and Bayley's wild swing instead hit Ronda right in the forehead, to the horror of the crowd. Ronda went down like a pile of bricks.

"Oh, God!" Cole cried. "Bayley hit Rousey by mistake!"

Bayley had gone down with the momentum of her swing with the briefcase. Getting back up, she was looking at the unconscious Ronda with a mortified expression on her face.

"Bayley, what did you do?" Coach asked, sounding extremely fearful for her.

Unnoticed, Sasha was back up. She rushed Bayley from behind and hit the first part of her Bank Statement finisher, driving her knees into Bayley's back.

"Banks takes out Bayley!" Cole called. "Sasha makes a cover on Ronda! The referee is crawling over there!"

A small number of fans joined in with the count.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Banks wins!" Graves exclaimed. "Sasha's going to Money in the Bank, thanks to Bayley!"

With the victory secured, Sasha beat a hasty retreat from the ring, only celebrating on her way up the ramp.

Meanwhile, Bayley slowly rolled out of the ring under the bottom rope. Once on her feet, she stood there looking back at Ronda with her hands over her mouth and nose in a gesture of shock and regret.

"Look at Bayley," Cole said. "She accidentally hit Ronda Rousey right in the face with the briefcase, and it cost her the match. Not what Bayley intended at all."

"You're right. At least, I hope you are," Graves said. "Or did Bayley do it on purpose?"

"I can't believe that for a minute," Coach said.

Ronda had rolled over onto her front, and was glaring at Bayley, pure menace written all over her face. If looks could kill, Bayley's family would have been making funeral arrangements.

"Look at that look on Rousey's face," Cole said, sounding like he had shuddered. "If there's one person I wouldn't want to be right now, it's Bayley."

The shot changed to show Sasha celebrating on the stage.

"Regardless of how it happened," Graves said, "that woman right there, Sasha Banks, is the first entrant in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match."

"There will be seven more entrants; three from Raw, four from Smackdown," Cole said. "But you're right, Sasha Banks is the first official entrant, again, thanks to Bayley. What are the repercussions going to be? Maybe we'll find out tomorrow night, on Monday Night Raw!"

* * *

Later that night, after the show was over, Ronda had been asked to go and see Hunter and Stephanie Helmsley before leaving the building.

Ronda found the instruction a shame, since she had made plans to leave with Dean and go straight to have a late meal somewhere. Now, almost a month since they had first slept together, she considered what they had to be a relationship, even if they hadn't specifically said so to each other as yet. They had been on several dates, and all of them had been a resounding success. There was an undeniable connection between them, including in the bedroom. The sex was often rough; they had soon discovered that they both liked it that way. More than one hotel room had ended up the worse for wear after they had spent a night together.

But tonight was now likely not to be one of those nights, Ronda thought unhappily. Still, she reasoned, at least her match with Banks had gone well, with it's surprising finish having the desired effect. Besides, friends with Ronda or not, Hunter and Stephanie were two of the most senior people in the WWE hierarchy. If they said jump, ultimately, everyone else asked how high. For that reason, Ronda made sure to have a smile on her face when she knocked on the door to Hunter's office and pushed it open.

"Oh, Ronda, hi," Stephanie said warmly, walking over to exchange a brief hug.

"Hey, Steph," Ronda said during the embrace. Over Stephanie's shoulder, she smiled at Hunter, who she had of course expected to find in there, and someone else, who she definitely hadn't.

Greetings were exchanged, then Hunter got down to business, addressing Ronda. "As I said in Gorilla right after the match, great job out there tonight. Not that we doubted it for a moment, but you came through your first singles match with flying colours."

"Appreciate it," Ronda said simply, with a happy smile.

"You're welcome," Hunter said. "We don't want to keep you all night, so let's talk about why you're here. We wanted to tell you what's next for Ronda Rousey."

"I think I might have a clue," Ronda said, eyeing the fourth person in the room.

Stephanie took over from her husband. "While it's been great having the fans behind you, chanting Ronda Rousey and all that good stuff, we're not convinced that babyface is right for you. We think you'd do better long term as a heel."

Nodding, Ronda took that in her stride. "I was talking about this a few weeks ago with, uh, some of the guys," she said, deciding at the last moment to leave Dean's name out of it.

"And you're open to the idea?" Hunter asked hopefully, having picked up on a positive vibe.

"Yeah, I agree with you that it might be the best way to go for me. In a lot of ways, I think it's a better fit for me. I can be meaner, more aggressive, more..."

"More Ronda," the fourth person said.

Ronda gave a hand gesture to indicate that summed it up perfectly. "More Ronda. So, I'm getting a heel turn. When?"

"Tomorrow night," Hunter said. "And that's where Zelina comes in."

Zelina Vega smiled at Ronda, appearing understandably delighted to have been called up from NXT for this enormous opportunity. She had caught a lot of attention on the development brand for her outstanding work managing Andrade 'Cien' Almas.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you, Ronda," Zelina said, with the slight over politeness used when people were meeting for the first time in a business setting.

Ronda slowly nodded her approval. She wasn't an idiot, and knew that some of her promo work since joining WWE hadn't been top draw. It was no great surprise, since there had been precious little time for her to train that side of things, and she had been out straight into the spotlight on Raw.

Meanwhile, there was no doubt in Ronda's mind that Zelina was excellent at what she did, both in terms of her promo work and drawing heat. "Good shit," she announced. "I think this will definitely work. Glad to have you with me, Zelina."

"Alright," Hunter said happily as Zelina beamed. "I'll let you two get out of here. Vince will be ready for the post-show meeting soon anyway. We'll talk about the heel turn in more detail tomorrow afternoon, unless you have any questions now?"

"No questions," Zelina said.

"Nothing from me either," Ronda added. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow night."

With that, everyone said their goodbyes, and the new manager – client pairing headed for the door.

"After you, Zelina," Ronda said good-naturedly. "I'm going to have to get used to following your lead; might as well start now."


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to the meeting with Hunter and Stephanie Helmsley being relatively brief, Ronda had been able to text Dean and let him know that their dinner date could go ahead after all. They had gone to a local restaurant and ordered a pizza each, figuring that a cheat meal was in order after a successful pay-per-view for both of them, at least in terms of their performances if not the results of their matches. Ronda had lost to Sasha Banks and Dean had lost an Intercontinental title match to Seth Rollins, but they both knew that they had done well, Ronda in her first singles match and Dean in his first pay-per-view appearance since his injury layoff.

"Wow, look at this," Ronda said, eyeing her pizza once it had been set in front of her by their server. She had gone for red onions, mushrooms, tomato and green and red peppers for her toppings. "My mouth is almost watering, it looks so nice."

"Honestly, you should be ashamed," Dean opined, looking at his own pizza which was topped with pepperoni, ham and chicken. "Ordering a pizza without pepperoni on it shouldn't even be allowed. And as for people who choose pineapple…"

"You're a pizza snob," Ronda accused playfully.

Dean shrugged. "Guilty." With that, he made a start on his first slice, immediately getting red hot cheese and tomato sauce all down his chin. "Fuck!" he exclaimed in pain, quickly grabbing a napkin to get rid of it.

Across the table, Ronda was howling with laughter, unable to control herself. She was attracting attention from people at several other tables, not that she cared. As was almost always the case, she was having a great time out with Dean.

"It's alright for you, sitting there laughing," he said, feigning grumpiness. "You're not the one who burned the hell out of your chin."

"No, but I'm not the one who eats pizza like a retard either," she replied after a fresh bout of laughter.

Dean laughed at her insult. "I'll remember you said that," he promised her.

"Aww don't be like that," she said, giggling. "Anyway, the pressure is on me now. I've got to eat a slice without doing the same thing, otherwise I'll be as bad as you."

"Let's see you then," he said, making a point of watching her carefully.

"Oh, God," she said, giggling again as she picked up one of her slices. Being as careful as possible, she lifted it to her mouth and took a bite. None of the toppings fell off, and there was no copy of Dean's cheese incident.

"Alright, show off," he said, conceding defeat.

With the joking around over with, they ate in silence for a couple of minutes. "This is so nice, Dean. I think it's one of the best pizzas I've ever had. How do you always know the best places to go for food?"

"It gets to the point where you've been to all the towns so many times, you know where is good and where isn't. If I remember right, the first time we came here was during the early Shield days. I think Roman got a recommendation from a driver or something."

"Well, it was a good recommendation."

Dean drank some of his beer. "Glad you're enjoying it. Hey, you never told me what Hunter and Steph wanted you for anyway. Or is it something you'd rather not talk about?"

Ronda's eyes gleamed in amusement as she took a drink from her glass. "No, it's nothing like that. It was about what's next for me after losing to Sasha. Actually, I forgot to congratulate you. Apparently you're pretty close to clairvoyant when it comes to creative."

"You're getting a heel turn?" he asked, pausing with a pizza slice halfway to his mouth.

"Sure am," she confirmed. "They gave me pretty much the same reasoning that we said the other week when we talked about it, so I obviously didn't have any objections. It's all going to start tomorrow night. After what went down with Bayley tonight, I think it's safe to assume it's going to involve beating the piss out of her."

Dean laughed. "You have a real way with words. But yeah, I think that's a safe bet. The birth of heel Ronda should be a good watch."

"I'm not just getting a heel turn, either. I'm also getting a manager."

"A manager? Who?" he asked, clearly surprised by that revelation.

"Zelina Vega. She was there in the office when I got there. Seems like a nice girl, from the little chat we had after the meeting. I think pretty much everyone was impressed with her on NXT, so I'm happy to have her with me. You know, Zelina and I were standing there talking to Nattie and Becky and it struck me what a great time I've been having lately. They both came over from Smackdown, and we get along great, and of course I've been seeing you."

"Naturally that's the best part of it," Dean said cheekily, before turning serious. "No, it's really good that you've got friends in the locker room. And as for them putting Vega with you? Hey, if it helps to get heat on you, it's all good, right?"

"Right," Ronda said with a smile.

They continued eating in a pleasant silence for a few minutes, until Dean suddenly said, "Oh! I know what I was going to tell you. You have to keep quiet about it though because it's not public knowledge yet."

"Yay, gossip!" Ronda exclaimed theatrically. "Go on, spill!"

"Seth's dating Bayley," Dean said quietly, as if someone might overhear.

Ronda's eyes widened. "Really? Aww, how sweet. I can definitely see them as a couple. How long have they been together?"

"Seth didn't say exactly, but I think a similar amount of time to us. He told me and Roman earlier. No one else knows, apart from you, obviously. I was tempted to tell them about us, but I thought that wouldn't be right since we hadn't talked about it yet. Actually, we've not even talked about whether we should be calling this a relationship at all, yet."

Slowly chewing a mouthful of pizza, Ronda considered what to say next. She was happy to commit to a relationship with Dean. Their first month together had been the most fun she'd had with a guy in a long time, and she felt very happy in every respect with how things had been going between them. What more could a girl realistically ask for than a man who treated her impeccably and made her happy?

"I couldn't be happier right now," she said with a smile. "So if you're asking me if I want to commit to this, to you, then my answer is yes."

"I feel the same way," he said without hesitation. "I'm not good at putting things like that into words, so I'll just say I feel the same way you do. I want to be with you, Ronda."

"That's putting it into words just fine as far as I'm concerned," Ronda said sweetly, leaning across the table for a kiss.

Dean kissed her, then said, "I'll kiss you even when you've been eating onions. That's commitment right there."

"I'm a lucky girl," she said with a giggle.

"What are your thoughts on telling Seth and Roman?" Dean asked next.

"Up to you," she shrugged. "I've got nothing to hide from anyone. If you want to tell them, tell them. At least once you've done that we can start traveling together, when I'm around at least."

Ronda's WWE contract didn't require her to work the same schedule of house shows as the rest of the roster. Most weeks, she would only appear on Raw, and of course at a pay-per-view events when there was one.

"Yeah, good point," Dean said. "Seth and Bayley already travel together. They have for a while. Cesaro used to be in their group too, until he moved to Smackdown."

Ronda was surprised again. "Really? I always assumed you travelled with Seth and Roman."

"Logical, I suppose," Dean acknowledged. "But no, I was traveling with Joe and Elias. Joe's gone now, so it's just been the two of us. I know Elias will easily find someone else if I tell him I'm starting to travel with you, though. Good thing you don't mind people knowing, now that I think about it. I'll have to give him a reason for the change, obviously."

"Yeah, tell him," Ronda said simply.

After another couple of minutes of eating, an idea came to Dean. "Assuming Seth and Bayley start traveling together, we could invite them to join us. Those would be some good times!"

"You just want the best of both worlds," Ronda teased. "You want me and your boy Seth."

"Busted," he said with a shrug, playing along by pretending that the accusation was true.

"I wouldn't have a problem with it," Ronda said, getting serious. "But, I was already thinking that I should work something out to travel with Zelina. She is my manager after all, and from what Nattie told me, teams mostly travel together. Apart from you guys, apparently," she added.

"Oh, we used to when Shield was a thing. It stopped when I got moved to Smackdown, then just never started again. Five people would be an awkward number. Even finding a hire car might be a pain in the ass sometimes."

"It might," Ronda conceded. "But then I won't be there a lot of the time, so you would become a four."

"Alright then, we'll talk to them and see if they're interested."

With that, conversation turned to other subjects. Half an hour later, after a thoroughly enjoyable meal, Ronda was leading the way into their hotel room. They had shared a room for the first time the previous week, which had been an indication to them both that things were getting serious.

Stopping in front of the bathroom door, Ronda turned to face Dean, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him to her. "When I'm done in here, I say we finish the night the right way."

"No complaints here," he said, seeing the desire in her eyes. He'd been thinking about having sex ever since they had left the restaurant anyway."

"Have you now? Well, I'll be out in a minute." Ronda kissed him again, then disappeared into the bathroom.

Dean made his way over to the bed, thinking about the last couple of times they'd had sex. Ronda had been very assertive and dominant both times, and he had gone with it, despite the fact that he also liked to be the one in control. That desire was so much stronger when he was Ronda, since she was strong physically as well as having similar wishes about being the dominant participant in their sex. Smiling to himself, Dean decided that he was going to make sure she was submissive this time. What he had planned would add some extra fun and kinkiness to the night. He hoped Ronda would enjoy it as much as he certainly would. But first, he realised, he would need to make preparations, and quick if he was going to be ready by the time she came out of the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Ronda finished relieving herself, then brushed her teeth, mindful of Dean's comment about her eating onions back at the restaurant. When she was done, she walked out into the room, finding Dean relaxing on the bed.

"You look amazing, darlin'," he said to her.

Ronda had never been a shy person when it came to sex, and in any case she had been with Dean long enough now that she would have been past any nervousness. She took her top off and tossed it aside, leaving only her black bra. "How about now?" she asked in a sultry manner.

"Even better," he said, voice thick with desire.

"Yeah? How about now?" Ronda kicked her shoes off and removed her jeans, now only wearing her matching black underwear set.

"Better still. Now get down here," he instructed.

"Who do you think you're ordering about?" Ronda demanded as she nevertheless did what he had said.

"You," he said simply. "I'm going to be the one in charge tonight, Rousey. Let's get that straight from the start."

"Is that a fact?" she asked, lying down on her side.

"Yeah, it is. I'm going to make sure of it." Dean rolled over to face her, revealing a couple of items that he had been hiding by lying on them. They were fluffy white cord-like objects.

"Oh, what do you have there?" Ronda asked, quickly figuring out what their purpose was going to be.

"I pulled them off the complimentary bathrobes in the closet," Dean revealed.

"And you're going to tie me up with them, are you?" she asked, trying her best to keep her expression neutral, despite feeling excited by the prospect.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

Ronda could tell that while Dean was talking assertively, and willing to act that way, there was a little hesitance there as he worried whether she was going to be up for it. She needed to convey to him that she was happy to go along with what he wanted to do. It wouldn't be the first time she had been tied up for sex, and she had found it enjoyable in the past. There was nothing to suggest this experience would be any different. If anything, with Dean, it would probably be better.

"Alright, do your worst," she said. "But you'd better make it worth it, mister."

"Oh, it'll be worth it," he promised, feeling delighted by the fact that she hadn't rejected the idea. He hadn't really expected her to, but the worry had still been there. Now that he was in the clear, he took her left hand and secured her wrist to the bed frame with one of the cords, tying it nice and tight so that she wouldn't be able to work it loose. The soft material wouldn't cut into her skin, so he didn't have to be concerned about causing her too much pain.

"That's tight," Ronda observed, trying to move her arm and failing.

"I figured it would have to be," he replied as he went to work on her other wrist. "You're a strong girl, with a lot of struggling power. But you're not going to be able to struggle out of this." As he finished speaking, he also finished securing the knot in the second cord. Both of Ronda's wrists were now secured to the bed frame.

"Looks like you're right," she said, testing the strength of the bonds. If he wanted to tie her up, she was going to make sure she got free unless he had done a proper job of it. Luckily for him, he had. There seemed to be no getting loose. At least she could lie relatively comfortably with a pillow supporting her back.

"Good," he said with one of those sideways grins that Ronda had fallen in love with. "Nothing like a girl who likes to be submissive."

"Oh, I wouldn't say I like to be submissive," she insisted. "A bit of fun tying me up I'm okay with, but I wouldn't call it being submissive."

"Maybe not, but I'm not finished yet," he said nonchalantly as he pulled a black bandana out of his jeans pocket.

Ronda's eyes widened a little. "What the hell are you doing with that?"

"Making sure you're submissive, like I said." He rolled the bandana up tightly on its length and stretched it out tight. He moved it forward, so that it was touching her lips, ready to gag her with it. "Open," he instructed.

This was going to be a new experience for Ronda. She wasn't sure if she would like it, but she was willing to give it a try. She would ideally have liked to resist him, however, she knew that doing so would give him the impression that she wasn't comfortable with what he was trying to do. For that reason, she opened her mouth and allowed him to force the material between her teeth.

"Good," Dean said, his tone conveying how much he was enjoying himself as he pulled the bandana tight around her head and secured a knot in it. "Now, that's beautiful. Ronda Rousey, as submissive as can be."

Now that she didn't have to be concerned about wrongly making him think that she wasn't up for being tied and gagged, Ronda glared at him as only she could. "Fmmk ymm," she snarled, the words muffled by the material in her mouth, but still understandable enough for the message to get through.

The gag was tightly applied, but not all that effective at silencing her. Ronda found it uncomfortable, but not enough to consider making Dean end the game by taking it out and untying her. She tried to close her mouth around it to make it more comfortable, but even biting down on the cloth didn't allow her to force her mouth shut. "Mmmm," she growled in frustration.

"Oooh, angry Ronda," Dean taunted, brushing some loose strands of hair away from her face. He was loving every second, and was extremely aroused by the vulnerable position that he had his girl in.

"You know what you look like to me? An Amazon Queen," he said. Having thought of it a couple of days earlier, he had decided not to waste it by saying it to her over the phone or in casual conversation where it wouldn't have meant as much. Now had been just the right time.

"Am Ammazm Qmmm?" she asked awkwardly around the cloth, starting to breathe a little heavier through her nose.

"Yes, an Amazon Queen. And one who's angry at being tied up. It's sexy as fuck, let me tell you."

"I'm amrmph am thmph fmmking thmmg im my mmph," she said, continuing to glare at him.

"Hmm," Dean said thoughtfully. "I can understand most of what you're saying. That's not really what I had in mind for the Amazon Queen. Now, what can we do about that?"

Staying quiet, Ronda watched Dean as he got off the bed. She genuinely didn't know what was coming next. He clearly planned to gag her even more effectively in some way, but how?

"What to use? What to use?" Dean mused, waiting for inspiration to strike.

Ronda took a quick look at the cord binding her left wrists, securing her dominant hand. Dean was apparently good at tying knots. Until he released it, she was at his mercy.

"I know," he said, clicking his fingers. She was surprised to see him walk over to her travel case. The lid was closed, but not zipped shut. He lifted it and immediately said, "Perfect."

When he stood up, Ronda saw that he had a pair of black panties in his hand, similar to the ones she was currently wearing. Her eyes widened as she figured out what his plan was. He was going to stuff her mouth with her own underwear.

"Dmmt ymm fmmkinm dmmm!" she told him loudly, straining against her bonds, pointlessly.

"Oh, I'm going to dare," he assured her. "Now come here." He sat down on the bed and, with some difficulty, pulled the bandana out of her mouth. It was already damp with saliva, since she couldn't swallow very well or close her mouth. He imagined she might end up drooling everywhere, which wouldn't be all that pleasant. But so long as she was effectively gagged, that was what mattered. Once that had been achieved, he could move on to making up for it by pleasuring her.

"Don't you dare stuff... mmmph!" Ronda objected.

Not messing around, Dean had crammed the panties into her mouth before she could finish the sentence. She groaned again as he lifted the bandana back over her chin and slotted it back between her teeth. Now, he hoped, the panties would stop her forming any legible words. The bandana would definitely stop her forcing the panties out of her mouth.

"Mmmmph!" Ronda raged, making sure her eyes burned into him. She was both angry, yet strangely excited by what was happening, particularly by the fact that he had used her own underwear to silence her. It was a curious conflict of emotions. She was seriously turned on, though, there was no doubt about that.

To test her new gag, Ronda tried to say something. Unlike before, nothing understandable came out at all. She was only capable of muffled mumbling noises and grunts of frustration.

"Can you breathe okay?" Dean asked, mindful that the experience needed to be fun for both of them. Scaring her, or even worse, choking her was not what he was going for.

Ronda mumbled a reply and nodded. "Jmm cmmm tmmk," she growled, fixing him with another icy look.

"I know you can't. That's kind of the point," he said with another one of those grins. "Now, be quiet, lie still, and enjoy."

Moving down the bed, Dean slowly removed Ronda's underwear, tantalising her with what was to come. He spent the next few minutes caressing her body with his hands, refusing to give her the oral satisfaction she was craving. Her moans contained frustration as much as enjoyment; exactly what he had been hoping for.

Eventually, he relented and moved on to pleasuring her with his tongue, revelling in the way she responded to his every touch. It was no secret to him that he was good at giving oral sex. The key, he had always found, was not to hurry. They had all night.

It wasn't the first time by any means that Dean had gone down on Ronda, but she was finding it to by far the best experience she'd had with him, or anyone else for that matter. She wondered if maybe being tied up and unable to talk was heightening the sensations she was feeling.

By the time Dean brought her to her climax, she was sweating, her hair was a mess from writhing against her bonds, and she had drool dribbling down her chin due to her inability to swallow properly. Breathing heavily through her nose, she looked at him with ecstasy in her eyes as he sat up. To Dean, the sight was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Mmmm," she said quietly, encouraging him to remove the gag.

He crawled back up the bed and untied the knot behind her head. After he pulled the bandana out from between her teeth, she forced the soaking wet panties out of her mouth and they fell onto the bed. She took a few relieved deep breaths through her mouth. "Oh my God, Dean," she breathed, looking through her messy hair at him. "That was so hot. I loved it."

"Me too," he assured her. "We'll definitely do stuff like that again. And from now on, you're definitely my Amazon Queen. You look just perfect for it right now."

"Untie me and I'll show you what an Amazon Queen really is."

"That a promise?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes," she assured him.

"Say no more," Dean said as he quickly started freeing her wrists.


	6. Chapter 6

_Monday Night Raw – May 7th 2018_

Following Raw's first match, Ronda was shown walking along a hallway backstage, looking a long way from happy. A graphic in the corner of the screen informed the audience that she was coming out next.

"There's Rowdy Ronda Rousey," Cole said. "Guys, it looks like she's coming out here."

"And it looks like she's still furious," Graves added. "Unsurprising, after Bayley cost her a spot in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match last night, by hitting her in the face with a briefcase."

"What will Rousey have to say about it? We'll find out next," Coach said.

When the show came back from commercial, Ronda made her entrance. For the first time since joining WWE, she made no attempt to greet or acknowledge any of the fans on her way to the ring. Everything about her demeanour conveyed anger.

After taking a microphone, she launched right into what she had to say. "I've not been in WWE all that long, so some of you might not know much about me. One thing I can tell you right here and now for free is that Ronda Rousey doesn't like being hit in the face with a damn briefcase."

Some of the fans cheered the aggression, but Ronda carried on regardless, pacing around the ring.

"That's exactly what happened last night at Backlash. Bayley came out and hit me with a briefcase, and it cost me my place in the Money in the Bank ladder match."

A few boos could be heard, aimed at Bayley. Most people, however, clearly believed it had been an accident. Ronda continued, addressing exactly that.

"I've heard people saying that it was an accident; that Bayley didn't mean to hit me, she was aiming for Sasha Banks. But then other people are saying that Bayley and Sasha are back on the same page, and Bayley deliberately screwed me."

Some boos greeted that suggestion.

"So, what I want is Bayley to get her ass out here right now," Ronda demanded. "Because that bitch has some explaining to do, and she can come do it to my face, before I go back there and beat it out of her."

"Oh, man," Graves said over the top of a cheer from the crowd. This was a Ronda they hadn't seen as yet, and they were liking it.

"Ronda Rousey calling out Bayley... and here she comes," Cole said as the hugger's music began to play.

Hugs appeared to be the last thing on Bayley's mind as she walked out onto the stage. Like Ronda before her, she didn't make her usual style of entrance. Bayley started heading down the entrance ramp, looking defensive and making hand gestures to encourage Ronda to calm down. She could be easily lip read saying, "It was an accident."

"Look at Bayley," Coach said. "She's clearly claiming that hitting Rousey was an accident, and she wants to diffuse this situation before it gets any worse."

Bayley quickly got into the ring and walked over to get a microphone, Ronda glaring a hole in her the entire time. "Ronda," she began hesitantly. "I can see the look in your eyes. I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. Last night, I did cost you the match against Sasha Banks, but it was an accident. When I swung that briefcase, I intended to hit Sasha, not you. She moved, you were right behind her, and there was nothing I could do."

Ronda took a menacing step forward, looking ready to start tearing Bayley limb from limb.

"Wait a second. Just wait a second," Bayley said quickly. "I know I screwed up, and I wanted to do my best to make it right. So I went to Kurt Angle earlier today, and I asked him to put you in another qualifying match for Money in the Bank. I said it wasn't fair that you missed out because of my error, and Kurt agreed. So you have another chance."

Ronda looked like her anger might have been fading a little as Bayley spoke.

"Again, I wasn't trying to hit you, Ronda. It was a mistake, and I'm sorry."

The final two words seemed to trigger something in Ronda. She rushed forward and blasted Bayley with a stiff clothesline before she could even react to the danger coming.

"Oh, no!" Cole cried. "Ronda Rousey has snapped! She just nearly took Bayley's head off!"

Straddling the fallen Bayley, Ronda was hammering away with powerful left hands. "You're sorry?" she screamed. "You hit me in the face, and you're sorry! You will be sorry! I'll make you sorry!"

"Rousey has totally lost it!" Graves exclaimed as the fans booed Ronda for her actions. They now realised they were witnessing a heel turn. "She's beating the hell out of Bayley, who can't even defend herself!"

With Bayley beaten half senseless, Ronda hauled her to her feet and got her up on her shoulders.

"My God what a Samoan drop that was!" Coach said after Bayley thundered down onto the canvas.

"And Rousey's not done!" Cole said.

Ronda got up, took hold of Bayley's right arm and dropped down to the mat, locking in her trademark devastating armbar. Screaming in pain, Bayley frantically tapped out with her free hand, not that doing so had a chance of achieving anything.

Straining backwards, Ronda wrenched on the pressure even harder, and Bayley's arm seemed to give way. She screamed even louder as Ronda finally released her, in absolute agony. Too late, referees began arriving in the ring to deal with the attack that was now already over.

"Guys, I hate to say it, but I think Bayley's arm just got broken," Graves said morosely as more boos rained down on Ronda, who had quickly stormed out of the ring.

"Are you sorry now?" Ronda yelled back towards Bayley, who was now surrounded by referees, a couple of whom were beckoning urgently for medical help to come from the back.

"That was totally uncalled for by Ronda Rousey," Cole said with distaste. "I could understand her being angry about what happened at Backlash, but Bayley came out here, admitted her mistake and apologised. What else could she have done?"

"Sometimes in life, big mistakes have serious consequences," Coach said as Ronda was shown leaving the stage without bothering to look back.

With a final shot of Bayley being attended to, crying and holding her injured arm, Raw went to a commercial break.

After the break, the commentators recapped what had just happened while Ronda was shown walking back along the same hallway she had been seen in before the segment. The cameraman followed along behind her, all the way out into the parking garage. An expensive-looking black saloon car was standing there waiting, with one of the rear doors open. Next to the open door stood Zelina Vega.

"Yes, Ronda! That's what I'm talking about!" Zelina exclaimed in an animated manner. "Now get in the car! Let's go!"

"That's Zelina Vega!" Cole observed. "Zelina Vega, formerly the business manager of ex-NXT champion Andrade 'Cien' Almas. That working relationship ended after Vega cost Almas a match at Takeover New Orleans, and she hasn't been seen in more than a month. Now she's here on Raw, and apparently on the same page as Rowdy Ronda Rousey."

Rousey got into the car, and Vega quickly followed her. The door slammed shut, and the car immediately sped off, leaving the arena.

Graves said, "I'm not sure exactly what we've just witnessed, but it's big. It's really big. Ronda Rousey beat the hell out of Bayley, then left the arena in a car with Zelina Vega. Has Rousey hired Vega as her manager?"

"I don't know," Coach replied. "But what I do know is we heard from Bayley that Ronda has been given a second chance by Kurt Angle to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. And then, Bayley was attacked and possibly seriously injured. We'll try and get you an update on Bayley's condition as soon as we can."

* * *

"I'm still really surprised that they're writing you off the show for a while," Ronda said to Bayley. They were standing in front of their lockers in the women's locker room, with the Raw show still going on out in the arena. Their participation, however, was over.

"Initially, I felt the same way," Bayley admitted. "But Hunter put it to me that it gives them a chance to give my character a bit of a reset. Things haven't gone all that well for me over the past year, and I've lost some support from the fans as a result. With a month or so away and then a big return, we're hoping they'll get behind me again. Plus having you supposedly break my arm obviously puts over your heel turn big time. So, everyone's a winner."

The smile on Bayley's face as she finished speaking was replicated by Zelina Vega, the third person in the conversation. "Can't argue with any of that, Bay. I hope they start writing some better stuff for you when you come back."

"Thanks, Zelina," Bayley said warmly.

"It's kind of ruined something I was going to talk to you both about, though," Ronda said.

"Oh?" Zelina enquired.

"First of all, there's something I'm going to tell you both. It's likely to become public knowledge pretty soon, but until then, I'd appreciate you keeping it to yourselves."

"No problem," Bayley assured her. "What's up?"

"Nothing's up, it's good news," Ronda said with a smile. "I'm dating Dean Ambrose. We've been seeing each other for a month or so now. Things have been going great between us. I think it could well be something serious."

"That's awesome," Bayley squeaked, beaming in delight.

Ronda chose her next words carefully, mindful of the fact that Bayley's relationship with Seth was also not yet common knowledge. "Dean and I were talking about our travel arrangements. Obviously I'm not on the road as much as you guys are, but even so, we decided to start traveling together whenever we can. Bayley, Dean said you and Seth travel together, so we figured we'd invite you to join us. And Zelina, I also figured it would be good if we travelled together, since we're obviously a team now, if a team is the right description to use."

"A team works for me," Zelina said happily. "And absolutely, if the offer is there, I'll travel with you guys."

"And I'm sure Seth will be up for it," Bayley added. "I definitely am."

"Great," Ronda beamed. "Five is going to be a bit of an awkward number when I'm with you, but we can always hire bigger cars."

"Zelina can go in the back, she's small enough," Bayley said with a wide, cheeky grin that was impossible not to find cute.

"Short jokes already?" Zelina said, pretending to be hurt. Then she grinned. "I'm sure we can figure things out. Honestly, I'm glad to have people to travel with. I thought someone would probably make me an offer, but I'm glad it's you guys."

They chatted for a couple of minutes, ironing out a few details regarding when, assuming Seth accepted the invite, they might start traveling as a group.

"I'll be missing for a couple of weeks next month, though," Ronda said.

"Are you filming something?" Zelina asked, aware that Ronda had come to WWE with some prior commitments that she was given time off to fulfil.

"Yeah. I'm in Fiji to film an episode of a documentary series for Discovery, for their shark week event. I'm being taught how to scuba dive, then I'll be doing a couple of cage dives with sharks before the main event, I guess you could call it. I'll be freediving with no cage, with sharks."

"Oh, dude," Bayley said enviously. "I would love to do that so much. I'm seriously jealous right now."

"And a couple of weeks in Fiji, too," Zelina added. "I'm jealous of that, never mind diving with sharks. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to do that. But two weeks on the beach in Fiji I could definitely go for."

"You'll have a brilliant time, Ronda," Bayley gushed. "I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back."

Ronda smiled. "Thanks. I can't wait to go. I'm hoping that Dean will be able to join me, at least for a few days. It would be our first little vacation together."

"Aww," Bayley gushed. "That sounds lovely."

Ronda's smile broadened. "And hopefully by then, I'll be Ms Money in the Bank. You never know."


	7. Chapter 7

WWE Money in the Bank – June 17th 2018

The representatives from Smackdown were the first four competitors to enter the arena for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match.

Alexa Bliss, the last of the four entrants from the blue brand, and one of its new additions following the superstar shakeup, pointed up at the briefcase as she stood in the middle of the ring, directly underneath it. She started mouthing off at Sonya Deville, Carmella and Charlotte, telling them that the briefcase was going to be hers.

Attention turned to the stage once more when Sasha Banks' music began to play. On commentary, Michael Cole induced cringing among the audiences at home with his introduction of her.

Corey Graves was acting as Smackdown's representative on the commentary team, owing to the fact that he currently worked on both brands. He had been hyping up the chances of the first four entrants, yet seemed less enthusiastic for Banks. "Here comes a woman with a target on her back," he said. "Last month, at Backlash, thanks to Bayley, Sasha Banks qualified for this match by becoming the first person to defeat Rowdy Ronda Rousey in WWE."

"And if Ronda is to be believed, that'll be something Sasha comes to regret," Coach said. "But even with Rousey looking to come after her, you can't discount Sasha. She's a multi-time Raw Women's Champion. She knows how to win big matches."

With Sasha's entrance completed, Ronda's music was next to hit, drawing some boos. She had been given an effective heel turn with the kayfabe breaking of Bayley's arm, but her creative had been a little lacklustre since then, and she hadn't so far gotten the heat that she perhaps could have. Nonetheless, the commentators did their best to sell it.

"Rowdy Ronda Rousey," Cole introduced as she marched onto the stage, aggressive game face in place. "Guys, we've seen a new Ronda this past month, beginning with breaking Bayley's arm in retribution for the mistake at Backlash. That was a huge and brutal overreaction, in my opinion."

"First of all, your opinion is irrelevant, Cole," Graves said. "Second, this isn't a 'new' Ronda Rousey. This is the same Ronda Rousey who dominated UFC. This is the Ronda Rousey who would break your arm in a heartbeat if you got on the wrong side of her. This is the Ronda Rousey who has guaranteed a victory here tonight, and I believe you can take that to the bank."

Coach said, "Guys, what I want to know is what role Zelina Vega is playing in all of this. We saw Rousey leave Raw in a car with Vega the night after Backlash, but we haven't seen Zelina since. Personally, I've got to believe Vega is the one who masterminded the change we've seen in Ronda. She's like a little devil standing on Ronda's shoulder, whispering in her ear."

"You don't know any of that to be true, apart from Rousey leaving in a car with Vega," Graves snapped as Ronda completed her entrance.

Wisely, the other women gave her a wide berth and eyed her carefully. Alexa Bliss even left the ring, having no intention of being the first one to find herself on the receiving end of Ronda's pent up aggression.

A thunderous ovation greeted the next theme music. Of late, a campaign had taken off on social media for Becky Lynch to be given a chance, following a lot of what was perceived as misuse while she had been on Smackdown. Since Becky had moved to Raw, she had gone on a run of victories, and there were high expectations that she would be the one leaving with the briefcase.

While Becky made her way to the ring, with the fans singing along to her music, the commentary team talked up her recent excellent form, and her chances in the match.

Another ovation greeted Lynch when she entered the ring.

"Look how fired up Becky Lynch is!" Cole exclaimed as she showed no fear, sending some heated words in Ronda's direction.

"That's what you call straight fire!" Coach said over the top of a "Becky!" chant that had quickly taken hold.

There was one more entrant to come. It should have been Bayley, but thanks to Ronda breaking her arm, that wouldn't be the case. As yet, a replacement had not been announced. To that end, Kurt Angle's music began to play. The crowd took pleasure in jokingly informing him that he sucked as he entered the arena.

"Unfortunately," Kurt began, "as I'm sure most of you are aware, Bayley has an arm injury, and will be out of action for the foreseeable future. For that reason, Raw need a replacement in this match. Therefore, please welcome... Ember Moon!"

The fans roared their approval as Ember's music began to play.

"Oh, yes! What a selection by Kurt Angle!" Cole exclaimed. "Ember Moon, just a couple of months into her Monday Night Raw career, has a chance to win one of the biggest prizes in the game!"

"I love a surprise winner, and I have to say Ember would be a surprise winner," Coach said. "I might have to make Ember my pick."

Moon had rushed to the ring, hyped up for the challenge, and went right after Ronda. Becky Lynch joined her, both determined to start out by eliminating one of their biggest threats.

With that, the match was under way. The women separated into groups, fighting inside and outside the ring.

Over the next twenty minutes, every woman in the match came close to winning, reaching the top of the ladder, only to be stopped by an opponent just before they could unhook the briefcase and secure victory.

In one particularly nasty moment, Charlotte swung a ladder at Sonya Deville, who failed to adequately block it and ended up with a nasty gash in the side of her head, leaving her bleeding heavily and needing attention outside the ring.

Ember Moon was the latest to find herself with an opportunity to climb the ladder. Fatigued, she was slow to make her way up the rungs. By the time she reached the top, Carmella was back in the ring.

The first ever female Money in the Bank holder rushed up the opposite side of the ladder. Ember was reaching up to grab the briefcase with both hands, which left Carmella the chance to stick a thumb in her eye before grabbing her head and slamming her face on the top of the ladder. Ember fell to the canvas.

"Carmella's going to do it!" Graves cried over the top of some boos from the crowd. "She'll be a back to back Money in the Bank winner!"

"Not so fast," Coach said. "Becky Lynch is back in now."

The fans cheered Becky on as she began to tip the ladder over – her chosen method of stopping Carmella getting the win. However, as the ladder toppled, Carmella grabbed the briefcase with both hands. There was a collective intake of breath in the crowd as she was left dangling above the ring, legs flailing around.

"Just get the briefcase and fall!" Graves urged her.

"She can't unhook it," Coach pointed out.

Reacting to the situation, Becky quickly picked the ladder back up and used it to swat Carmella off the briefcase, sending her tumbling to the mat.

Looking hurriedly around the ring, Becky saw only a couple of unconscious opponents. There was no one around to challenge her. The fans roared her on as she quickly set up the ladder, sensing victory at hand.

"Becky Lynch is all alone!" Cole called. "She's going up the ladder! There's no one to stop her!"

As he was saying those final words, they were being proven incorrect. Someone rushed into the ring and over to the ladder.

"Wait! That's Zelina Vega! Vega is in the ring!" Coach yelled.

Becky never saw Zelina coming. Before she knew what was happing, Vega had gotten into position to powerbomb her.

Boos rained down as Becky was slammed to the mat, robbed of what had appeared to be certain victory.

Zelina rushed over to the ropes, closest to where Ronda had been lying on the floor for the past couple of minutes. "Come on, Ronda! Get up! Get up, now!" she yelled frantically.

"Ronda Rousey crawling back into the ring," Graves said. "The other seven women are down."

"Vega helping Rousey back to her feet," Coach said. "We wondered if they were together; it certainly appears that they are."

Zelina animatedly gestured to the ladder as she shouted, "Get up there! Come on!"

Louder boos rained down as Ronda started climbing the ladder.

"Rousey's climbing the ladder," Cole called. "Vega took out Becky Lynch, and everyone else is down."

Reaching up, Ronda grabbed the briefcase with her right hand and unhooked it with her left. The fans erupted into boos. Bad Reputation began to play.

"Rousey wins!" Graves yelled.

"Ronda Rousey is Ms Money in the Bank!" Cole shouted. "Thanks to Zelina Vega, Rousey wins!"

Triumphant, Ronda climbed down the ladder. With Vega nodding her satisfaction and approval, she raised the briefcase in the air in celebration, drawing more boos.

"Rousey now, handing the briefcase to Vega," Coach said.

Zelina smugly looked at the briefcase, as if the prize was hers as much as her client's. Given the way it had been won, she might have had a point.

Holding the briefcase in her left hand, Zelina took Ronda's left hand in her right and raised it in victory, mouthing off at the crowd in the process. For her part, Ronda looked tired, but arrogantly pleased with her win.

"Rowdy Ronda Rousey, the second winner of the women's Money in the Bank," Cole proclaimed. "And regardless of how she won it, Rousey is now a massive threat to Nia Jax, the Raw Women's Champion."

Coach brought the segment to a close as Ronda and Zelina left the ring. "I don't like her methods, but Zelina Vega has already brought success to Ronda Rousey. We wondered if they were working together, and now we know for sure. Zelina Vega is the manager of Rowdy Ronda Rousey, Ms Money in the Bank."


	8. Chapter 8

For the first time, the group of Dean, Ronda, Seth, Bayley and Zelina had travelled together on the way to Raw. Although Money in the Bank had been a successful night for Dean and Ronda, with him winning the Intercontinental Championship and her winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, the atmosphere in the car on the drive to the arena had been sombre.

The reason for the depressed mood among the group was the fact that Roman Reigns had sustained a potentially very serious knee injury in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match. Being knocked from the top of the ladder by Bobby Roode, Roman had landed on his feet, but his left knee had buckled under him, leaving him screaming in pain and unable to complete the match.

Roman had been examined by a doctor when he got backstage, and although a scan would be required in the coming days to accurately assess the damage, the initial diagnosis was likely multiple ligament tears. Having experienced the same thing himself, Seth had been able to give the group some insight into the pain and hardship that kind of injury brought, and it had sent chills down all of their spines. Dean and Seth had been particularly affected, of course, being such close friends with Roman. While the whole group hoped for good news to come from Roman's scans, they were realistic enough to admit that they were unlikely to get it.

When the time came for the men and women to head off to their separate locker rooms, Dean and Ronda stepped away from the group. "Sorry I've not been much company since last night," he said.

"Don't worry about it, I understand," Ronda said with a reassuring smile. "I know how much Roman means to you, and it's a big shock when something like that happens to a friend."

"Thanks, darlin'," Dean said, appreciating the sympathy, not that it could do anything to change the situation. "Assuming he's got ligament damage, and let's be honest, he almost certainly has, he's going to need surgery. I'll want to go down to the hospital and see him as soon as I can after the surgery, when I have some time off."

"Of course," Ronda said without hesitation. "I'll come with you, if you like. Or not. Whatever you want."

"Thanks," he said again, managing a smile. "Judging by what Seth was saying about his injury, it'll be a week or so at least before they'll operate. You'll be on that Fiji trip for your filming by the time I get chance to go and see him."

"Yeah, you're right," she realised. "I was hoping you'd be able to join me over there, too."

Dean seemed to take what she had said the wrong way, thinking she was complaining about the fact that he might not travel out to see her as she had hoped. "Well, I'm sorry my friend getting injured isn't convenient for you," he snapped.

"Woah, calm down," Ronda said, a little taken aback. "That's not what I meant, so don't snap at me."

"Sounded like that's what you meant to me," he replied, still sounding annoyed.

Ronda bristled. "I literally just said I was happy to go with you, or for you to go by yourself. I know you're upset, but I'm not going to have you taking it out on me when I've done nothing to deserve it."

For a second, Dean seemed like he was going to fire back at her. Instead, he closed his eyes for a second and took a breath. "Sorry," he sighed. "You're right, I'm taking it out on you. I'm just not good at dealing with shit, you know?"

While she appreciated the apology, Ronda was still annoyed at how he had spoken to her. "Alright, forget it. I'll see you later," she said, walking away without giving him their customary kiss when they parted ways.

As she walked away, Ronda noted that while Dean didn't call after her, she did hear him kick something in frustration. He was angry with himself for his behaviour, as well he should be, she thought. The brief altercation had made her already fairly poor mood even worse.

When she entered the locker room, she saw that Bayley and Zelina had beaten her to it, and were already engaged in conversation with Sasha Banks. Feeling like she didn't have anything she wanted to say to Banks, Ronda made her way over to her locker, where Natalya and Becky Lynch were chatting, arranging their things in their own lockers.

"Hey, guys. How are you?" Ronda asked her friends as she approached.

"Good, thanks. How about you?" Nattie asked.

"Been better," Ronda admitted. "Dean and Seth have taken Roman's injury pretty hard, and Dean was a prick to me just now. He apologised, but I'm still mad about it."

"What happened?" Becky asked, looking at her with concern.

"He took something I said the wrong way and got all pissy with me. I haven't seen him like that before."

Becky frowned. "I hope you told him he was out of order?"

"Damn right I did. I'm not taking shit for no reason, from him or anyone else. He apologised, so I guess we're okay. I'm just annoyed, though. Anyone got any good news for me? I could do with some cheering up." Ronda took her Money in the Bank briefcase out of her travel case and set it on the bench in front of her locker. "Since I won that thing, everything's been negative."

"Aww," Natalya said sympathetically. "Becky and I will soon cheer you up, don't worry. I don't know if it's necessarily what you had in mind when you asked for good news, but there is something pretty cool going on tonight. They've moved Corey Graves to Smackdown exclusively. Apparently Steph's been pushing hard for a female commentator on the main roster, and we're going to get one."

"Oh," Ronda said, pleasantly surprised. She was about to ask who had gotten the job, feeling like she probably knew the answer, but Becky had already beckoned over the woman in question, who had been standing nearby, talking to Nia Jax. Ronda immediately recognised the African-American woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties, having seen her as a commentator on NXT for the past year or more. As always seemed to be the case, she had a WWE baseball cap on, with her short hair in a couple of pig tails sticking out of the bottom of it.

"Hey, Ronda. Great to meet you," the woman said with a pleasant smile, offering her hand. "Clementine Everett."

"Clementine," Ronda smiled, accepting the handshake. "Congrats on the new job. It's well deserved, in my opinion. You've been killing it on NXT."

Along with many fans, Ronda had been very impressed with Clementine's work at the NXT announce table since she had signed for WWE. Commentary teams received a lot of negativity on social media, often accused of not being able to help make the bigger moments special in the way that Jim Ross had done for so many years. It hadn't taken long before Clementine had convinced a large portion of the audience of her ability to do exactly that, bringing real emotion to her work that was sometimes lacking from people like Michael Cole.

"Thank you," Clementine said happily. "I'm really excited for tonight. It's a big honour to make it to the main roster, and to Raw. I'm definitely looking forward to calling some of your matches, too."

An idea came to Ronda, relating to something that she had discussed with Zelina earlier in the day. Since she had one of the commentators standing in front of her, it was the perfect opportunity to bring it up. "Hey, Clementine," she said enthusiastically. "While I've got you, I wondered if I might be able to run something by you?"

"Absolutely," Clementine said, sounding honoured by the suggestion.

Ronda smiled. "Great. As you know, Zelina is going to be doing most of my promo work from now on. She raised a point with me this morning, saying that she would like a nickname to use when referring to me. You know, like Heyman calling Brock 'The Conqueror.'"

Clementine nodded her understanding, encouraging Ronda to go on.

"So, we spent some time tossing suggestions around, and we finished up going with one some people used to use for me when I was in UFC. She's going to call me The Arm Collector. I'm wondering if you might start using that a bit on commentary to put it over for us?"

"I'm definitely up for it," Clementine said. "I'll have to okay it with Vince or Hunter, but assuming they don't have an issue with, I'll be sure to use it for you."

"Awesome, thank you," Ronda said. "Zel and I are going to mention it when we get a chance, so I'll also say that I asked you to use it on commentary."

"Sounds like a plan," Clementine smiled.

The two new acquaintances spent another few minutes chatting away, getting to know each other a little, until Dana Brooke approached them. "Ronda? Dean's outside, asking to see you. Something we should know?" she added, trying to crack a joke.

Ronda decided to hell with it, news of their relationship was going to end up coming out soon enough anyway. "I'm dating him, if that's what you mean," she said simply, enjoying the surprised expression that appeared on Brooke's face as Natalya and Becky laughed. Having already been in the news, they had enjoyed the short exchange and Dana's reaction to it almost as much as Ronda had.

"Oh, uh, I didn't know," Brooke stammered.

"Now you do," Ronda said, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder before heading for the door. Assuming Dean had come to apologise again, Ronda felt glad that he was making the effort to make things right after their earlier unpleasant exchange, which had seemed to come out of nowhere. It had been the first negative experience between them, and she looked forward to moving on from it.

"Hey," Dean said in what passed for his version of a gentle tone when he saw her emerge into the hallway.

"Hey," she replied in a similar manner, walking over to him.

"Listen, Ronda, I know I said I was sorry back there, but I wanted to come and say it again. I went off at you for no reason. It wasn't on, and you didn't deserve it, so I'm sorry. Rome's injury hit me pretty hard. I just seems like, as a group, we can't catch a break. Seth had his long injury, then when they tried to put Shield back together, it was one thing after another. First Roman got injured, then I fucked my arm up. I've only just come back from that, and now Rome's trashed his knee. I'm not a guy who handles being upset all that well. But, I know that doesn't mean I can start taking your head off every time you say something."

"Come here," Ronda said, spreading her arms to offer a hug. It was gratefully accepted, if only briefly. "You don't have to bottle your feelings up, Dean," she told him. "I'm here for you whenever something gets you down. It's part of my job, being your girl, same as it's part of your job to do it for me."

"I know," he sighed as they parted. "I'm just not good at talking about stuff; never have been. I let things build up inside until it all gets too much, then I let fly at someone. It's a bad character trait."

"Yeah, it is," she said with a grimace. "No more, okay? You need to trust me, Dean. You need to open up to me about things, so I can be there for you. Also, I meant what I said earlier. If I wasn't booked to film the shark week show in Fiji, I would have been happy to come with you to see Roman. All I was trying to say when I said whatever I said about wanting you to come out and join me was that I was looking forward to us getting a few days of vacation together. Picture the scene, lying on the beach together in the sun, a few drinks..."

"Say no more," he cut in before she could go on. "You've got me at the sun, drinks and the hot chick."

The return of the Dean that Ronda loved was enough to make her giggle. "You could even get in a cage for a shark dive with me."

"Not a fucking chance," he insisted warily. "You can go do your filming. I'll be waiting on the beach when you're done."

Ronda smiled broadly. "So, is that a promise that you'll come out to Fiji at some point while I'm there?"

"If Roman has his surgery around the time we're thinking, I need to make sure I visit him. But after that, yes, I promise I'll come to Fiji."

They kissed each other softly on the lips, then Ronda tenderly said, "Dean, I know Roman's your friend, but you're making a big thing of making sure you see him after his surgery. I'm not saying you shouldn't act like that, but I'd like to ask why?"

Dean looked down, breaking eye contact. For a moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer. "When I got my injury and had to have surgery, how many people do you think showed up to see me when I was at home recovering?" he mumbled eventually.

"I don't know," Ronda replied, although she felt sure she probably did know.

"Two. Seth and Roman. They were the only ones who gave a shit," he said, looking up at her. "I'm not going to mope around about it. No one ever gave a shit when I was a kid, so I've always been used to it. But what I am clear on is that since those guys give a shit about me, I definitely have to show them that I give a shit about them. Does that makes sense?"

Ronda gave him another gentle kiss. "It makes perfect sense. I've got good news, too. Now there's three people who give a shit. I give a shit about you, Dean."

"I give a shit about you, too," he replied with one of those crooked smiles.

It was a curiously romantic moment, given the language used, and they held each other, kissing passionately. And they didn't give a shit who might see them, either.


	9. Chapter 9

_Monday Night Raw – June 18th 2018_

The commentary team were usually introduced to the audience in the arena before Raw went live. On this occasion, that had been the case for Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman, but the third chair at the table remained unoccupied as the show went on air.

In the ring, Jojo was ready to open the show with an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the new addition to the Raw commentary team… Clementine!"

On-screen, Clementine Everett was known only by her first name. Hearing it announced, the crowd cheered loudly as her music began to play, delighted with the surprise news that the popular member of the NXT team had been given a promotion.

Clementine walked out onto the stage, to another welcoming cheer. After taking a second to look around the large arena, she tipped her cap to the fans on the left hand side of the stage, and could be lip read saying, "Thank you."

She walked over towards the commentary table, repeating the same acknowledgement to the fans on that side of the building.

"Clementine, welcome," Cole said, on-air. He was standing, and offered his hand to greet his new colleague.

"Michael," Clementine said pleasantly, audible through his microphone, accepting the handshake.

"Good to have you with us, Clementine," Coach said as he also shook her hand.

All three of them sat down, and Clementine put her headset on over her cap as her music faded out. "Good to be here, Coach. What a welcome that was. I'm very honoured. But this isn't about me, this is Monday Night Raw! Let's get the show on the road!"

Bad Reputation began to play, drawing some boos from the crowd.

"And we're kicking off with Rowdy Ronda Rousey, who won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match last night!" Clementine exclaimed.

Ronda and Zelina walked out onto the stage. Rousey had a stone-faced expression in place, whereas Vega, carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase, was hyped up and mouthing off, proudly pointing at Ronda as she did so.

"There you see the briefcase, and Zelina Vega holding it," Cole said. "We had been wondering for the past month what the deal was with Rousey and Vega, after we saw them leave Raw together in a car the night after Backlash. Last night, we saw Vega show up during the ladder match and cost Becky Lynch what looked like certain victory, allowing Rousey to claim the briefcase instead."

Coach said, "In some ways, I guess you can't argue with Rousey's decision to align herself with Vega. It has paid dividends already, in the form of the Money in the Bank briefcase. But, having said that, I thought Ronda was better than having to cheat to win. I think it's a shame to see her resorting to cheating to get ahead."

"No offense, Coach, since we've only just met," Clementine said. "But that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. There's only one thing that matters: Ronda Rousey is Ms Money in the Bank. How she did it is irrelevant. When she comes to cash-in the briefcase, is the referee going to stand there and say, 'Hmmm, I'm not sure. How did you win it?' No, he's going to ring the bell and start a title match."

"I suppose what you say is true, Clem, but I'm with Coach on this one," Cole said. "I'm very disappointed in Ronda's decision to align herself with Zelina Vega. Vega might get results, but we all know, having seen her on NXT, that she has no respect for anyone but herself and her client. She's a thoroughly dislikeable individual."

Ronda and Zelina had made their way to the ring, with Ronda totally ignoring any fans who stretched their hands out to her. Her days of acknowledging them were gone now. Appearing in a Raw ring for the first time, Zelina glared out at the fans after fetching a microphone. She had the kind of expression on her face that might have been appropriate if there had been a vile smell in the air. Eventually, after Ronda's theme song stopped playing, Zelina raised her microphone.

"Times are changing on Monday Night Raw," she proclaimed, immediately being booed for it, not that she paid any attention. "A month ago, I was sitting at home, watching Backlash, just like all of you. What I saw that night was Ronda Rousey getting screwed out of a match against Sasha Banks by Bayley, apparently costing Ronda the chance to compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match. I found myself thinking that would never have happened if someone had been there to have Ronda's back."

"I didn't know Rousey needed someone to have her back," Cole commentated. While he was speaking, Ronda was shown, nodding slightly in agreement with her manager's statement.

"So," Zelina went on. "That night, I got on the phone to Ronda and we spent a long time talking. I explained to her that while there is no other female wrestler in the world like her physically, she doesn't have any experience in the wrestling business. What she needed was a manager to handle things for her behind the scenes, and to offer her guidance where needed. The first thing I told Ronda was to stop coming out here smiling and slapping the hands of the idiots in the crowd. Then I told her she's got the potential to be the most dominant woman ever in WWE, if she took me on as her manager and followed my advice."

Some of the fans had started a "Becky!" chant in support of Becky Lynch, who had been cheated out of victory at Money in the Bank by Zelina's interference.

Rolling her eyes, Zelina looked incredibly annoyed. "Don't chant for Becky, chant for Ronda Rousey!" she barked at them, holding up the Money in the Bank briefcase. "Ronda is the one who won this, not Becky Lynch!"

"Yeah, thanks to you," Coach said dryly.

"Are you done?" Zelina asked the fans when the chant died down, drawing some more boos. "Good because I wasn't done telling you about the start of the business relationship between Ronda and myself. After what had happened at Backlash, I told Ronda that what she should do was get serious, right there and then. No more having fun. No more coming out to the ring and smiling. It was time to start owning Monday Night Raw, and it had to start by making an example of Bayley. People had to be shown what happens if they get on the wrong side of Ronda Rousey, and that is exactly what happened."

"There's no arguing with that," Clementine said. "Ronda came out that night and took Bayley apart. I've never seen a beat down like that in my life. Bayley came out of it with a broken arm, and she hasn't been seen since."

"The next night, we saw the real Ronda Rousey," Zelina continued. "Bayley became the first victim of the woman who is now going to be known as The Arm Collector. Bayley made herself a target for Ronda Rousey, and she got her arm broken for it. The same fate awaits anyone else who makes the same mistake, so let that be a warning to everyone back there in the locker room."

"They can't say they've not been told," Clementine said. "The Arm Collector is looking to add to her armoury."

"Ugh," Coach groaned. "Do you get paid for lines like that?"

"More than you can imagine."

Zelina had spent a moment looking studiously at the Money in the Bank briefcase. "And then we come to Money in the Bank. After dominating all of the other seven women in the match, Rowdy Ronda Rousey climbed the ladder and retrieved the briefcase, guaranteeing her a shot at the Raw Women's Championship at the moment of her, or, should I say, my choosing. You see, that's how this is going to work." She tapped the side of her head, to indicate how smart she was. "I will carry the briefcase, and I will decide the moment when my client cashes-in the contract. So, Nia Jax? You'd better make sure you've got eyes in the back of your head to watch us, because Ronda and I will be watching you. And if I see what I decide is the perfect opportunity to cash-in, your reign as champion will be over faster that you can say armbar."

Some more boos came from the fans. Zelina looked ready to speak again, but she was prevented from doing so by Natalya's theme music starting to play. As a babyface, she received a notable cheer. The Canadian walked out onto the stage, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Here comes Natalya," Cole was saying. "I know that when Ronda Rousey signed for WWE, she spent several months training in secret, and it was Natalya who was helping to train her."

"If that's true, I don't know what Natalya is shaking her head about," Clementine said. "If I had trained someone and one of the first things they did in WWE was win a Money in the Bank ladder match, I'd be pretty damn proud of them."

"I think the issue is probably the way Rousey went about winning," Coach pointed out.

Natalya had quickly made her way to the ring and obtained a microphone. "Ronda, I wish I could say congratulations, I really do," she said solemnly, totally ignoring Vega, who looked completely affronted at being interrupted, and then ignored. "But I was standing in the back watching the ladder match last night, and I could hardly believe what I was seeing. And again tonight, the same thing. What happened to you, Ronda? We've been friends for years, and this isn't the Ronda I know. Sure, the Ronda I know is a badass. The Ronda I know could be described as The Arm Collector. But the Ronda I know would never cheat to win, she would fight with honour."

While Natalya had been talking to Ronda, who appeared emotionless and indifferent to what was being said to her, Zelina had slowly made her way around behind the Canadian, unnoticed. As Natalya spoke the word honour, Zelina hammered her in the back with the Money in the Bank briefcase, sending her stumbling forwards, right into a judo throw from Ronda. Quick as lightning, Rousey had Natalya's right arm in her grasp, ready to lock in an armbar.

"Do it!" Zelina screamed sadistically. "Break it!"

"There it is!" Clementine shouted as Ronda dropped to the mat. "The armbar is locked in! The Arm Collector is about to claim her second victim!" As she was speaking, the fans had started cheering excitedly. The camera shot changed to show someone sprinting to the ring. "But wait! Becky Lynch is out here!"

Becky slid into the ring, too late to get her hands on Ronda, who had seen her coming and released the armbar on Natalya in order to leave the ring. Vega wasn't quite as quick to react, and ate a stiff clothesline from the fiery Irishwoman, before being hauled back to her feet and sent flying over the top rope in front of the entrance ramp.

"Becky Lynch just took out Zelina Vega, and saved Natalya from getting her arm broken!" Cole cried.

"Look at the look on Ronda's face!" Couch exclaimed. "She's livid with Becky Lynch for coming out here!"

Ronda helped her manager up from the floor, and the duo retreated part way up the entrance ramp, while Becky aided Natalya back to her feet. With that done, Lynch picked up one of the microphones that had been dropped on the canvas. "Rousey!" she shouted angrily, picking up the Money in the Bank briefcase from where it had been left lying on the mat. "You want to try breaking someone's arm? Try mine! Your little puppet master there screwed me out of this last night!" She held up the briefcase. "There's nothing I can do to change that, but I can get some revenge! I want you, Ronda, one on one, and I want it here tonight!"

"Be careful what you wish for," Clementine said as the fans roared their approval of Becky's fighting spirit and the match that she was proposing.

Zelina was shown remonstrating about the fact that Becky had the briefcase. "That doesn't belong to you!" she was screaming.

"Oh, you want this back?" Becky asked, looking again at the briefcase. "I've got an idea! Why don't we make a trade? I get a one on one match with Ronda, you get the briefcase back, how about that? Think about it, Vega. You can't have your puppet cash-in if I've got the briefcase, now can you?"

Ronda and Zelina had a brief but heated discussion about the ultimatum they had been given. After a moment, they seemed to reach a decision.

"Nattie, get that little witch a microphone, will you?" Becky asked, seeing that Zelina had no way to announce the verdict to the audience.

Natalya picked up the other microphone from the canvas and launched it in Zelina's direction, nearly halfway up the entrance ramp.

"Don't throw things at people, you idiot!" Clementine cried as Vega reacted quickly to catch the microphone before it hit her in the face. It had been an excellent throw on Natalya's part.

"Alright, Lynch," Zelina snarled. "You want your arm breaking? The Arm Collector, Ronda Rousey, will be happy to oblige. But first, you've got ten seconds to give me that briefcase back, otherwise you get no match."

Becky shrugged, deciding to go along with that. She climbed out of the ring and marched right up to Ronda and Zelina, showing no intimidation whatsoever. She returned the briefcase by slamming it into Vega's chest, then stood nose to nose with Ronda, who glared back at her as only she could.

"What a confrontation this is going to be! And it's going to happen tonight!" Clementine exclaimed.

After a long and intense moment, Ronda and Zelina backed away from Becky and made their way up to the stage. When they got there, Zelina spun around, glaring at Lynch. "Oh, by the way, the match isn't going to happen tonight. My client is prepared for a match tonight, and in any case this bunch of inbred idiots don't deserve to see her perform in front of them."

"Classy," Cole said dryly over the top of a loud volley of boos.

"You'll get your one on one match with Rowdy Ronda Rousey, but you'll get it at Extreme Rules," Vega announced. "So my advice to you is enjoy having the use of your arm for the next few weeks because at Extreme Rules, it's going to get broken."

"There you have it," Clementine said excitedly. "Rousey – Lynch at Extreme Rules. Will Becky Lynch get retribution for what happened at Money in the Bank, or will she get her arm broken? I can't wait to find out!"

After Ronda and Zelina disappeared through the curtain, Becky was shown again, now with Natalya standing beside her. Lynch looked focused and fired up for the match that she had just secured for herself.

"One thing we can see for sure is that Becky Lynch is not afraid of Ronda Rousey," Coach said. "Come Extreme Rules, I think we're going to see one hell of a fight."


	10. Chapter 10

Unfortunately, the worst fears regarding Roman Reigns' knee injury had turned out to be accurate. His scans had shown multiple ligament tears, requiring reconstructive surgery, extensive rehabilitation, and an estimated nine months on the sidelines.

Having experienced the same injury himself, Seth had known enough to be able to tell the rest of the group who travelled with him about how Roman's treatment would be handled. Sure enough, as Dean and Ronda had expected, the surgery had been performed just before she had left for Fiji to film a documentary episode for Discovery Channel's shark week.

To his credit, Dean had stuck to his commitment to be the first person there to see Roman when he had woken up after the surgery. Dean's absence had left Ronda to spend her first week in Fiji without seeing him, not that she held it against him, given his perfectly valid reasons of wanting to see Roman, and having to work WWE live events. It wasn't until the second of her two week on the island that Dean was able to fly out to spend a couple of nights with her.

Filming the documentary had seen Ronda miss two Raw episodes. WWE had no problem with that, having agreed as part of her contract that she would be granted time off to honour all of the prior obligations that she had in place when she signed for the company. The decision to bring Zelina Vega on-board as Ronda's manager was already paying off, as she was able to handle the build up to the Becky Lynch – Ronda Rousey match at Extreme Rules in Ronda's absence.

With nothing better to do other than eat dinner with the documentary's production crew, Ronda had tuned in to both of the Raw episodes that had taken place while she was in Fiji. She had learned along with the rest of the audience that the upcoming match was going to be an armbar match, where the only way to win was to make the opponent tap out to an armbar. Since both Ronda and Becky already used variations of an armbar for their finishes, it was logical booking. On-screen, Zelina had goaded Becky into the stipulation, and had then promised that The Arm Collector would not only win, but would claim her second broken arm in WWE.

It was the Tuesday evening, the day after the second Raw episode when Dean was finally able to get out to Fiji. Ronda had just received a call from him (he steadfastly refused to use any kind of messaging app on his phone) to say that he was in a taxi on the way from the airport. It was a relatively short journey from the airport to the hotel that Discovery Channel were putting Ronda up in, so she hurriedly set about tidying the room in preparation for his arrival. When the room was presentable, she got changed into a more revealing outfit. Having not seen each other for more than a week, sex would definitely be high on the agenda.

Less than fifteen minutes after the phone call, there was a very loud, forceful knock on the door. Ronda smiled as she walked across the room, thinking that only Dean could knock on his girlfriend's hotel room door like that. She opened the door and found him nonchalantly standing there.

"Hey, darlin'," he said, a smile breaking out on his face. "Wow, you look amazing."

"Aww, thank you," Ronda said happily as they shared a quick embrace. "I wasn't sure if it was you or the feds hammering on the door like that."

"I was just eager to see you," he said. "I missed you, darlin'."

Ronda felt extraordinarily touched by that. Her man wasn't the type to say romantic things, so when he did, it meant a lot to her. "I missed you too, so much," she said as they walked into the room and she closed the door behind them.

Dean left his travel case near the bathroom door, then turned around to face her, one of those little grins that she loved so much on his face. "Well I'm here now, for the next two days. Sun, sea, sand…"

"And sex," Ronda finished for him as she stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Absolutely. But first, I think we should indulge ourselves with some room service food. I'm starved." To that end, they parted and he walked over to where the room service menu was standing near the TV and picked it up.

"No complaints from me, I've not eaten much today. We were too busy filming. I did my first cage dive today," she announced proudly.

His eyes widened a little as he looked up from the menu. "Oh! How did that go? Did any sharks show up?"

Ronda giggled at his final question. "They attract the sharks first, before they put you in the water. So, yeah, there were sharks. Two great whites, actually. They're so big, Dean. They must have been twenty feet long. Such amazing creatures," she said in wonder, picturing again what she had seen.

"Was it scary?" he asked.

"A little, at first," she admitted. "But then I was just enjoying myself too much to be scared. I'm really glad they approached me for this show, the whole thing has been a great experience. You're now looking at a certified scuba diver!"

"Well done, darlin'," he said before reverting his attention to the menu.

"We'll have to dive together one time, Dean," she said enthusiastically. "You would honestly love it. It's such a tranquil experience. There's nothing else quite like it. At least, when there are no sharks around."

"Hmmm, I'm not sure I'd like it," he said doubtfully. "I've never tried anything like that, so…"

Ronda stepped up behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'd really like you to give it a shot, baby. Please? Just for me?"

"It means a lot to you, huh?" he asked, shifting slightly so that he could turn and look her in the eye.

"Yeah," she said softly. "Who knows, you might love it. It could turn out to be a common interest for us."

Dean thought for a second before relenting. "Alright. Next time we go on vacation somewhere, I'll join you on a dive. But if I drown, it's on you."

She giggled. "Fair enough. But I won't let you drown, I promise."

They spent a couple of minutes deciding what to order from room service, then Dean called the order through. When that was done, they lay down together on the bed, facing each other. Ronda took one of Dean's hands in both of hers, holding it affectionately. "I missed this so much. Just being with you makes me so happy."

"Me too," he replied. Although he wasn't good at talking like that, there was feeling behind his simple reply. "I know I said it before, but I'm sorry it took me this long to make it out here."

"No you're not, and you shouldn't be," Ronda said softly. "Roman needed his friends there after his surgery. I'm glad you went. How is he getting on, anyway?"

"Still in the hospital. He'll be out in the next couple of days, on crutches for a while. It's a long road back from an injury as nasty as that one, but at least the surgery was a success. There no tougher son of a bitch than Rome. He'll be back better than ever. I told him that when I was in there with him."

"I'm sure he will," Ronda said with a smile.

In quick time, the room service order was delivered, along with beer for Dean and a bottle of wine for Ronda. They had planned on celebrating their reunion in all of the best ways possible, and so it was going to prove to be.

* * *

After a thoroughly enjoyable first night in Fiji, Dean had been left to his own devices the following morning because Ronda had been out early on a dive boat, filming for her documentary.

Dean's first priority had been a big breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. Since he was alone, he had taken his time eating, and thoroughly enjoyed it. By the time he was done, he had felt like he needed to walk off the meal, and had spent an hour exploring the area around the hotel.

The weather had really gotten hot, so he had decided to throw the towel in on the exercise and exploring and instead spend the rest of the morning on the beach, lapping up the sun and having a few drinks. He had found a beachside bar that served beer in plastic cups for customers to take onto the beach, and a place where he had been able to hire a couple of sun loungers. With that, he had been set for the day, awaiting Ronda's arrival when she was done with her morning's work.

Even though she had called Dean to find out his location when she was back on dry land, Ronda still wondered if he was asleep when she came walking down the beach towards him. He was lying there on a sun lounger, wearing only a pair of swimming shorts and sunglasses. There was an almost full beer on the sand next to him, and a bright red cocktail standing on the sun lounger beside his, obviously waiting for her.

"Hey, you look comfortable," she said happily as she approached him.

Dean's head turned to the side and a smile appeared on his face. "Here's the little mermaid, looking sexy as hell, I might add."

"Less of the little," Ronda teased. She crouched down and gave him a kiss before picking up the cocktail. She eyed it curiously. "What's this?"

"Tequila and watermelon. I don't know if you'll like it. I saw someone else get one and it jumped out at me."

Ronda got onto her sun lounger, then tried the drink.

"Any good?" Dean asked.

"Lovely," she replied with a smile. "Thank you, baby. Speaking of lovely, the weather is something else here, isn't it?"

Dean returned to his previous, extremely relaxed position. "Yeah. This is the life, alright. I don't often feel completely relaxed, but today I have been all day. Literally nothing to do, no annoying fans around, and the perfect spot to chill out. It could only have gotten better with my girl showing up, and now here you are. How did the dive go, anyway?"

"No diving this morning. We were just filming stuff on the boat. Back in the water again tomorrow. I spoke to the producer and he said you're welcome to come out on the boat with us, so long as you stay out of the way when we're filming."

"Then I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow," he said simply as he reached down to pick up his beer.

They drank slowly in a contented silence for a couple of minutes, both feeling happy and relaxed. "Dean?" Ronda asked eventually.

"What, darlin'?"

"I'd like you to come out to my farm next time you have a couple of days off. I've been to your place a couple of times now, but you've never been to mine."

Dean looked over at her. "I'll be happy to come. But I warn you, I know nothing about animals. A pet dog is the only animal I ever owned."

"Then I'll teach you," Ronda said, looking forward to it. "I'm fairly new to it myself. I always wanted a farm; somewhere to keep some animals, grow some of my own food, all that stuff. I pay someone to look after it all for me when I'm away, but I love doing it all myself when I'm there."

Dean grinned. "Alright, but I draw the line at cleaning up horse shit."

"I don't have horses yet," Ronda said with a laugh. "So it'll have to be goat shit instead. And you'll absolutely be helping me."

"Way to pitch the idea to me," he said, feigning grumpiness. "Come clean up goat shit with me."

"There will be other things to do as well," she said seductively. "It all depends on how hard you work. If you really put effort in, there might be rewards."

He turned to look at her again, as she did the same, both pairs of eyes hidden behind sunglasses. "Rewards like what?" he wanted to know.

"Maybe I'll let you tie me up again. It would be more fun not being in a hotel room with other people walking past the door all the time. You liked tying me up, didn't you?"

"Damn right I did. Lead me to the goat shit," he said with over-the-top enthusiasm, making her burst out laughing.

When she regained her composure, she reached out a hand and he took it. "Thanks for making me happy, Dean. It's been a long time since I felt this way."

He gave her hand a little squeeze and said, "I never have."

It was a moment and a comment that would always stay in Ronda's memory.


	11. Chapter 11

_WWE Extreme Rules – July 15th 2018_

"At Extreme Rules, I'm going to break the arm of the so-called Arm Collector!" Becky Lynch announced with determination at the end of the video promo package for her match with Ronda Rousey. The words were repeated with an echo effect, with a shot of the two women standing nose to nose in the ring.

As soon as the package ended, Becky's music began playing in the arena, drawing a loud ovation from the fans, who were almost universally hoping for her to emerge victorious, despite how unlikely that scenario appeared on face value.

"As you just heard," Clementine began on commentary, "Becky Lynch is determined not only to upset the odds here tonight by getting the victory in this armbar match, she is also setting out to break the arm of Rowdy Ronda Rousey, otherwise known as The Arm Collector."

"And look how fired up Becky Lynch is!" Cole said as the Irishwoman rushed out onto the stage, posing for the fans at the top of the entrance ramp. "Straight fire from the Irish Lasskicker!"

"We've seen this new attitude from Becky ever since she joined Monday Night Raw in the superstar shakeup," Coach said. "Sick of being held back, as she saw it, Becky took her destiny into her own hands and started going on a tear through Raw's women's division. That was until Money in the Bank, where she looked to have the ladder match and the Money in the Bank briefcase won, until Zelina Vega interfered on behalf of Ronda Rousey, and Ronda instead claimed the prize."

Clementine said, "Many times over the past few weeks, I've questioned the wisdom of Becky Lynch wanting to fight Ronda Rousey, but that doesn't mean I don't understand why she's doing it. Becky feels wronged by Rousey and Vega, and she wants revenge."

Now in the ring, Becky posed on the middle turnbuckle in one of the corners, receiving a standing ovation from a large portion of the crowd. In recent months, the fans had really gotten behind her, sick of seeing her being wasted by WWE, as they saw it. It appeared that they had been listened to, with Becky being written into a high profile rivalry with Ronda Rousey.

Bad Reputation hit, drawing some mild boos. Ronda's heel turn was taking, but she couldn't yet be described as hated by the fan base. She walked into the arena with Zelina by her side, carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase and shouting at Ronda to hype her up. By the look on her face, Rousey didn't need any more motivation. She marched towards the ring at such a pace that it was hard for her manager to keep up.

"Look at Ronda Rousey!" Clementine exclaimed loudly. "I've seen people hyped up and ready for matches, but I've never seen anything like this. She looks ready to tear Becky Lynch limb from limb. Zelina Vega said a second arm will be claimed by The Arm Collector here tonight, and I believe her."

Cole said, "A reminder that Rousey already broke Bayley's arm a month ago, and we've not seen her since. There's no telling when we'll see Bayley again."

"A further reminder," Coach said as Ronda and Zelina entered the ring. "This is an armbar match. The only way to win is by making your opponent tap to an armbar, and that means there's a big X factor at ringside in the form of Zelina Vega, in the corner of Ronda Rousey."

With the competitors standing in opposite corners, cold, hard expressions on their faces, Jojo was ready to make her announcement. Unusually for a non-title match, she had waited until after the entrances. There was a specific reason why that was the case.

"The following contest is an armbar match! The only way to win is by making the opponent submit to an armbar! Introducing first, from Dublin, Ireland, Becky Lynch!"

As the crowd cheered, Becky was shown still glaring across the ring at Ronda, not willing to take her eyes off her to pose for the crowd.

"And her opponent..."

The fans booed when Zelina snatched the microphone from Jojo. "Get out of here," Vega ordered the ring announcer, who reluctantly complied. Once she was the centre of attention, Zelina took over the announcement. "Introducing, the most dominant woman ever to appear in WWE, Ms Money in the Bank, The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey!"

"What an introduction," Clementine enthused as Ronda finished her limbering up by slapping each of her shoulders in turn.

After Zelina left the ring, the referee motioned for the two competitors to come forward from their corners and called for the bell to be sounded.

Neither woman was reckless enough to rush in. Instead, they walked forward and locked up.

Despite having slight disadvantages in height and strength, Becky was able to use her technical ability to score the first takedown. Right away, she grabbed Ronda's arm, looking for an armbar.

"Oh! Lynch looking for it already!" Cole exclaimed.

Ronda frantically kicked Becky several times, fighting her off.

The first exchange set the tone for opening portion of the match. Not many people had probably expected to see a technical wrestling exhibition, but that was what they got. All kinds of throws and grapples were used by both women, in attempts to transition into an armbar. Even some of Ronda's moves got positive reactions as she proved herself once more to be no slouch in the ring, regardless of the fact that she was inexperienced.

Becky ran and hit the ropes, intending to hit some kind of move on Ronda, who was in the process of getting up.

Seeing the danger developing, Zelina reached up and hit Becky in the back with the briefcase that she insisted on holding onto at all times.

The blow with the briefcase was enough to stop Becky attacking Ronda, but it did her no physical harm. She snapped around to face Zelina, who immediately looked terrified, knowing that she had screwed up.

"No disqualification to call there," Clementine reminded everyone. "The only way to win is by armbar submission. But Vega might just have... Yes, Becky is going after her!"

With the fans cheering her on, Becky jumped through the ropes and started sprinting after Zelina, who was no slouch. As they ran around the ring, Ronda also made her way to the outside, hoping to cut Becky off and retake the advantage.

Instead, after Zelina scooted past Ronda, Becky used her significant momentum to run right through Rousey, knocking her down with a stiff clothesline. In celebration, she wasted a moment to shout, "Come on!" at the crowd, encouraging them to get behind her, indicating again just how fired up she was.

The fans responded with an enthusiastic cheer, but Becky would have been better served by paying attention to the two women she was essentially competing against. Zelina had dropped the briefcase and climbed up on the ring apron. As Lynch turned around, Vega jumped into the air and hit her with a hurricanrana, sending her face first into the nearby ring steps.

"Come on, this is two against one!" Cole protested.

"Becky Lynch is the one who asked for this match, and agreed to the stipulation," Clementine reminded everyone. "Sometimes in life you make stupid decisions, and those stupid decisions cost you. This stupid decision could cost Becky a broken arm."

The unfair odds had given Ronda the upper hand, and she dominated the next five minutes of the match with some hard-hitting offense.

"This is all very impressive, but Rousey should be doing more to go after the arm," Coach opined. "She's not going to win this one with a three count, no matter what she does.

Zelina was shown shouting instructions from ringside, remonstrating that Becky's arm should be being worked on.

"You called it, Coach," Clementine said. "Vega is telling Rousey exactly what you just said: go after the arm."

Ronda listened to her manager, immediately switching her focus to attacking Becky's right arm with strike attacks and submission holds over the next few minutes, not that a submission would have been valid even if it had happened.

Seeing their favourite in the match struggling, the fans started chanting "Becky!" in an attempt to will her back into the match.

The chanting seemed to anger Ronda, who broke the hold she had on Becky and stormed across the ring towards the side of the arena where most of the noise was coming from. "Shut the hell up!" she raged. "I'm going to snap her arm, and you're going to watch me do it!"

"Rousey really laying into the fans here," Clementine said. "She needs to stop letting them get into her head, though."

Again, Zelina was on the same wavelength as the commentary team. She was up on the apron, pointing two fingers and her own eyes, the message coming across perfectly clearly. "Focus! Get back on her!" she ordered, pointing at Becky.

Rousey walked back across the ring and bent down to pick Lynch up.

That was the moment that Becky sprang into action, grabbing Ronda's arm, taking her totally by surprise, and pulling her down to the mat.

"There it is! The Dis-arm-her!" Cole cried as the fans went crazy.

"It's locked in! This could be it!" Coach added.

Clementine called, "Ronda Rousey screaming in pain! She's trying to reach the ropes! She's so near, yet so far away! Can she get there?"

Frantic, Zelina was screeching at Ronda not to tap out, desperately urging her to get to the ropes.

Selling pain from the finishing move as best she could, Ronda crawled slowly towards the ropes, then grabbed the bottom one. The referee immediately called for a break.

Although there could have been no disqualification for ignoring the referee's orders, Lynch showed the good sportsmanship to release the hold.

"Lynch broke the hold, but has the damage been done?" Cole asked.

Ronda got up, holding her right arm, pain written all over her face. She turned around and stumbled back towards the middle of the ring, where Becky was poised and waiting for her.

"Bexploder! Here it comes!" Clementine called as Lynch setup her other finishing move. She was able to connect with it, drawing another loud cheer.

"Rousey's down, and in big trouble!" Cole shouted. "Becky signalling that it's over! And she's going for it again..."

"The Dis-arm-her! This time right in the middle of the ring!" Coach called as Becky locked it in for the second time. The crowd were roaring their anticipation of a tap out.

However, neither the fans nor Becky Lynch had bargained on further involvement from Vega.

Zelina had spotted the fact that the way Becky had to sit on Rousey's back to wrench back on the move left her in prime position to be attacked herself. Vega ran across the ring and connected with a spike hurracanrana. As before, the referee was looking right at the interference, but could do nothing about it other than angrily yell at Zelina to get out of the ring.

With the crowd booing angrily, Zelina scooted under the bottom rope, leaving Becky face down on the mat.

Ronda saw the situation and it seemed to revitalise her. She leapt up and rushed over to Becky, then grabbed hold of her right arm. Wasting no time on ceremony, Ronda dropped to the mat, flipping Becky over and locking her in an armbar in one fluid motion. There was an audible groan throughout the arena.

"It's over with!" Clementine exclaimed. Anyone who was familiar with her work on NXT knew not to second guess her when that line came out.

Sure enough, Becky tapped out almost immediately, valuing preserving her arm over staying in the match. The fans booed angrily, discontented by another big match loss for Lynch.

Ronda, however, was not done. Even though the bell had sounded and her music was playing, she kept the armbar locked in, only one thing on her mind. Becky was howling in agony and continuing to tap out against Ronda's leg.

"Rousey's trying to break the arm!" Coach exclaimed. "Becky already tapped, but Ronda's not letting go!"

The referee got involved, forcibly separating Ronda from Becky. He could clearly be understood, telling Rousey that if she touched Lynch again he would strip her of the victory she had just earned.

Zelina entered the ring and eyed Becky, who rolled out on the other side, holding her elbow, face scrunched up in agony. Vega seemed satisfied with what she saw.

"The referee broke it up, but what is the damage?" Cole asked. "Has The Arm Collector claimed her second victim?"

"I think that picture gives you your answer," Clementine said as Becky was shown kneeling on the floor, still clutching her elbow. She looked very distressed.

In the ring, Zelina raised Ronda's hand in victory and held up two fingers, indicating the second arm claimed by her client. Boos rained down on them. Beating Becky, doing it in an underhanded way and then potentially injuring her had considerably furthered Ronda's growth as a heel.

"Rousey's run of destruction continues!" Coach proclaimed.

Cole began to bring the segment to a close. "First Bayley, now Becky Lynch. Both have fallen victim of the most devastating armbar in the business. Ronda Rousey, victorious here at Extreme Rules!"

Clementine had the final word. "Who's going to be the next victim of The Arm Collector?"


	12. Chapter 12

_WWE Extreme Rules 2018 – Part 2_

Later on the card, the Raw Women's Championship had been on the line in a match between the champion, Nia Jax, and Ruby Riott, the leader of The Riott Squad.

During the match, the other two Riott Squad members, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan, had been ejected from ringside by the referee after he saw Logan trying to interfere on Ruby's behalf.

Nia eventually won the contest, pinning Riott after a Samoan Drop. Within seconds of the bell sounding, Logan and Morgan came running back down to the ring. They both went after the victorious Jax, laying into her with kicks and punches, being booed for their reprehensible actions.

"Come on, this is a mugging!" Cole protested. "Nia Jax already won the match."

"This is pretty pathetic from The Riott Squad," Coach agreed.

"Nia won the battle, but it looks like she's going to lose the war," Clementine said.

Ruby was back on her feet now, shouting instructions at her two teammates. Obeying her orders, Logan and Morgan struggled to get Nia back up. Once they managed to do so, Ruby hit the defenceless Jax with a perfectly executed Riott Kick right to the face, the impact audible throughout the arena.

"That Riott Kick just turned Nia's lights out," Clementine said.

"Disgusting," Cole said. "Ruby Riott is nothing but a sore loser. She was part of a great match, then she had to go and soil it with a cowardly attack like that. She should be embarrassed by her actions."

"None of The Riott Squad look embarrassed to me," Coach said. "If anything, they look pleased with themselves."

The Riott Squad posed over the unconscious Nia as their music began to play, receiving more boos from the fans. With that done, Ruby finally led her team from the ring, leaving the referee to go and check on Nia. After a moment, he started beckoning for help to come from the back.

"Look at the way the referee was just checking Nia's eyes, I think there might be some concern about a concussion here," Clementine said sombrely. "After that Riott Kick, I can understand why. It was absolutely savage from Ruby Riott."

A doctor and another couple more referees came running down the entrance ramp and entered the ring. The doctor immediately started running through some concussions tests with Nia, looking unhappy with the responses he was getting.

"I think it's a real shame that such a fantastic contest has to end this way, all because Ruby Riott couldn't stand the fact that she got beat fair and square. Now it looks like Nia Jax could be seriously injured."

A replay of the Riott Kick that had done the damage began to play on the screen in very slow motion. "Look here, and watch the impact to the side of Nia's face," Clementine said. "Boom! Yeah, that could definitely give someone a concussion."

The replay ended, and only a second later Bad Reputation began to play, to a loud reaction from the crowd. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the reason would be for Ronda Rousey coming out.

"Woah! Woah!" Cole shouted lamely, before Clementine outshined him with some real commentary as Ronda and Zelina came storming out onto the stage, heading for the ring. Zelina was in the lead, brandishing the Money in the Bank briefcase and looking almost frantic at the opportunity that was at hand. Behind her, Ronda had her game face on, eyes already locked on Nia like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"Here we go! This is going to be it! Vega has decided this is the right time!" Clementine yelled. "We're going to have a new Raw Women's Champion! Look at the look on Rowdy Ronda Rousey's face! She knows this is her moment!"

Zelina and Ronda entered the ring. One of the referees had stood up from attending to Nia and spread his arms out wide, clearly demanding to know what they were doing out there. Zelina's response was to the slam the briefcase into his chest, gesticulating wildly towards the timekeeper's position, telling him to cash-in the briefcase and get the bell rung. Although Rousey and Vega were heels, the fans were cheering in surprise and excitement that they were going to be the ones to witness the cash-in.

"She's cashing it in!" Coach called excitedly. "Zelina Vega telling the referee to ring the bell. The Money in the Bank contract is being cashed-in! Nia Jax is going to have to defend her Raw Women's Championship against Ronda Rousey, right here, right now!"

"And Nia doesn't even know where she is!" Cole exclaimed. "We saw Ronda beat and injure Becky Lynch earlier tonight. Now she's come to beat Nia Jax and become the Raw Women's Champion!"

Ronda grabbed the doctor by his shirt collar and hurled him between the ropes out to the floor. His services were no longer required. The other two referees followed him out of the ring of their own volition, leaving before they were removed. The one remaining referee had taken the briefcase over to the corner closest to the timekeeper's area and passed it through the ropes to Jojo, telling her that Ronda was cashing-in.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Jojo announced after taking the briefcase and listening to the instruction. "Ronda Rousey is cashing-in her Money in the Bank contract, for the Raw Women's Championship!"

While the crowd cheered again, the referee had rushed back over to Nia, and was telling her she had to get up and fight.

"It seems the referee isn't going to start this thing until Nia is at least on her feet," Clementine said.

"Good," Cole said. "Nia at least deserves to be given a chance." As he was speaking, a close up of Nia's face had been shown. She had made it to her knees, but she didn't look like she knew where she was, let alone what was happening.

While she waited for the referee to start the match, Ronda stood near to the ropes in front of the entrance ramp, limbering up, ready to dismantle Nia and win her first title in WWE.

"Vega being ordered out of the ring by the referee," Cole said. "He's doing everything he can to make sure Nia gets a fighting…"

"Don't say Nia has a chance, Michael," Coach said dismissively. "We all know she doesn't. Nia was assaulted by The Riott Squad and probably has a concussion. Zelina Vega promised to pick the perfect moment for her client to cash-in, and she's done exactly that."

"Come on! Ring the bell!" Zelina screamed from out on the floor as Nia used the ropes to pull herself to her feet in a corner on the opposite side of the ring to Ronda.

Suddenly, the fans erupted once more. With a flash of bright orange hair, someone rushed the ring and hit Ronda from behind, knocking her down. The assailant started beating on Rousey, apparently intent on stopping the cash-in.

"Wait!" Clementine had called. "Who the hell is… That's Ember Moon! Ember Moon attacking Ronda Rousey! Why?"

Panicking, Zelina ran over to Jojo and the timekeeper, waving off the cash-in. She snatched the briefcase and scuttled away with it.

"The bell never sounded!" Cole exclaimed quickly. "The bell never sounded, so the Money in the Bank contract has not been cashed-in!"

"But Ember Moon saved Nia Jax's championship!" Coach insisted. "I have no doubt in my mind that Ronda was about to win, but now Ember's beating the hell out of her!"

Ronda managed to fight Ember off before any real physical damage could be done. She bailed from the ring, joining Zelina at the bottom of the entrance ramp. Vega was clutching the briefcase to her chest, glad that at least the one opportunity to use it had not being ruined. Even so, she looked positively livid at the fact that a certain victory appeared to have been snatched from her client's grasp.

"You're going to pay for this!" Zelina screamed at Ember, literally shaking with rage. Beside her, Ronda looked equally as angry.

Ember's music began to play as she sent some choice words back in their direction, before going over to check on Nia, who looked incredibly grateful for the save.

"Ember Moon almost certainly just saved the Raw Women's Championship for Nia Jax!" Clementine cried as Ronda and Zelina started backing away up the ramp. "However, in doing so, she put a huge target on her own back, or should I say her arm. You just heard Vega shouting at Ember that she's going to pay for this. The Arm Collector is going to come for her."

"Looking at Ember, I don't think she gives a damn," Coach said.

Nia had collapsed back to a sitting positon, where Ember and the returning doctor and referees began attending to her. It was time for Cole to start bringing the segment to a close. "Why did Ember Moon stop Rowdy Ronda Rousey from cashing-in on Nia Jax? I don't have the answer, but I have a feeling we'll find out tomorrow night on Monday Night Raw."

Clementine said, "Regardless of the reason, there's going to be hell to pay for Ember Moon."


	13. Chapter 13

In the car on the way to the next town after Extreme Rules had ended, the group of five were sharing stories about some of the places they had found themselves in on nights out over the years. Dean was next to recount a memory.

"There was a place I used to go in when I was like nineteen, twenty. They never bothered to ID you, and I had a fake one even if they did. It was always a great night out in there, and the beer was cheap. The only problem was the bathrooms. It would get so busy in there, and somehow the urinals would always get blocked up. Most of the time you would go in there and there would be piss all over the floor."

"That's disgusting," Bayley said from the front passenger seat, sitting beside Seth, whose turn it was to do the driving.

Dean and Ronda were in the second row of seats in their rented people carrier, with Zelina in the back row. She laughed and said, "I bet you still walked in there, though?"

"Actually, no, not all that much," Dean said. "Often it would get to the point where people just stood in the doorway and pissed on the floor."

Ronda giggled, scrunching her face up in disgust while the others groaned. "Dean, that's vile," she said.

"I remember being in there one night taking a leak at one of the urinals, even though there was piss all over the floor as usual. Some girl came running in, I guess there must have been a line for the women's room and she was desperate. Anyway, she came running in and got halfway across the room before she realised she was almost ankle deep in piss. She had weird little shoes on and no socks, too. You should have seen her face."

Laughter filled the car. After a moment, Seth said, "I think you've got us beat as far as disgusting stories is concerned. Not that I'm surprised by that in the least."

"I've got one that's not disgusting, but it's pretty crazy," Zelina said from the back.

"Go on," Ronda encouraged.

"It's about someone I didn't really know myself, he was one of my brother's friends. I think his name was Mark, if I remember right. This was a good few years ago now. Anyway, they were out one night going around drinking in all the bars they could find. They were all seriously drunk, and they went in this one place and they refused to serve Mark because of how far gone he was. He started losing his cool because they wouldn't serve him. It ended up in a big scene, and Mark got thrown out and barred from the place. My brother was going to take him home, but he said no, he was okay to go on his own. It turned out that he didn't go home, he went and got some fireworks from somewhere, God knows where."

"Fireworks? What for?" Bayley asked.

"That's what I'm coming to," Zelina said with a laugh. "Honestly, I don't know why I'm laughing, I probably shouldn't be. So, he got all these fireworks from somewhere and went back to this bar. I'm not sure how he got back in, but he did. He took the fireworks into the bathroom, intending to set them all off and basically trash the bathroom, thinking that would teach them a lesson, I guess. But something went wrong and he ended up setting them all off without having the chance to get out of the way first, and he blew his own arm off."

"Holy shit!" Seth exclaimed, while the others gave her wide-eyed looks.

"I know, right? I saw him a few times after he got out of the hospital, still hanging around with my brother. It was below the elbow he lost the arm, so he walked round with a plastic arm and hand in a sling. I guess that was while he waited on getting a proper prosthetic. So there you go, that's my bathroom at a bar story."

"Moral of the story, no blowing things up with fireworks," Bayley said.

Zelina nodded. "Or, if you do, get out of the way first."

As the conversation continued Ronda checked her phone, unconsciously tuning out from what was being said. She loaded up Twitter to have a read through some of the fan reactions to Extreme Rules. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of talk about her aborted cash-in. People seemed to be excited by the fact that Ember Moon had stepped up as her next challenger by stopping the cash-in from happening. Ronda agreed, happy with the booking decision. She had found Ember to be likeable in the locker room, and she considered her to be very good in the ring. The rivalry had a lot of potential, subject, as always, to the creative they were given being good enough to do it justice.

Scrolling further down, a tweet from WWE's official account caught Ronda's eye. It had been posted earlier in the day, before Extreme Rules. It referred to something called the first ever annual WWE Charity Invitational Golf Championship. "Hey, what's this charity golf event they're tweeting about?" she asked the rest of the group. "I didn't hear anyone talking about it earlier."

"Oh, shit, yeah. I meant to speak to you about that," Dean said. "The guys were talking about it in our locker room. Seth and I signed up to play in it."

"So what's the deal? Because no one mentioned it to me," Ronda said, feeling annoyed by the fact. "What, are only men playing in it? Because I'm not going to be happy if that's the case. I'll be speaking to Hunter about it."

"Relax, darlin'," Dean said, unable to totally hide his amusement at her flare of temper. "I heard they want to put at least one women's game on the line-up if they can find enough players, so if you want to sign up, I'm sure you can."

"Alright, tell me what you know about it," she said, calming down quickly.

"From what I heard, there's going to be a Raw team and a Smackdown team competing against each other in a number of matches. Whichever team wins each match gets a point, and the brand with most points overall at the end of the event wins half a million dollars for the charity chosen by that brand's General Manager before the start."

"Half a million dollars?" Ronda asked with raised eyebrows. "That's a lot of money for them to put up."

"Not really, when you consider that they're going to be selling tickets to fans," Seth said from the driver's seat, having heard what they were talking about. "If enough people turn up, they'll probably make a profit out of it."

"Oh, there are going to be fans there?" Ronda asked, surprised again. "Oh, God, they'll get to see us hacking the ball around the place."

"Speak for yourself," Dean said with a grin. "My swing is as smooth as a pro's."

Seth laughed. "You seem to forget that while Ronda hasn't seen you play yet, I have."

"Yeah, and I'm your teammate, dickhead. How about some support over here?"

Everyone laughed at that. Bayley turned around in her seat to look at Ronda. "You play golf then, by the sound of it?"

"Yeah," Ronda smiled. "I'm not great by any means, but I'll happily go out there and make an ass out of myself for charity, no doubt about that. Sounds like I'll need a partner, since you just mentioned teams, Dean."

"Yeah," he said. "It's foursome games, so two players on each team but only one ball for each pair, taking turns to play shots."

"I might be out of luck if they're struggling to find women who play," Ronda said.

"Clementine plays," Bayley said thoughtfully.

"She does?"

Bayley nodded. "Yeah. I've never talked to her about it, and I don't know how good she is, but I saw a picture on her Insta not long back where she was wearing golfing gear. She was playing a round with friends or something."

"I don't know if I even follow her," Ronda muttered, opening up her Instagram app and looking up Clementine's page. ClementineWWE was the account with the blue check mark. Ronda followed it, then had an idea. "Have you got her number? I could text her and ask if she wants to team up with me. Then we would just need two women from Smackdown to play against."

"I don't think I have her number," Bayley said, scrolling through her list of contacts.

"I've got it," Zelina said from the back. She called it out to Ronda, reading from her phone.

"I hope there are a couple of girls on Smackdown who play," Ronda said as she typed out a text message to Clementine.

"I'm sure they'll manage to put at least one team together, even if they suck," Dean said. "It'll be the taking part that counts, since it's for charity."

Ronda looked up at him. "Tell me that when you're out there playing against a couple of Smackdown guys. I know you, Dean. You'll be out there trying your damnedest to win."

"Alright, maybe I will," he grinned.

"I've never swung a golf club in my life," Zelina said. "But if you want me to come along with you, Ronda, I'll be happy to. I figure it would look good if manager and client were both there."

Ronda looked back at her and smiled. "I think that's an excellent idea. You can be my caddy."

"You mean I just volunteered to carry your clubs around eighteen holes?"

Everyone laughed once more before Ronda said, "That's exactly what I mean."

"I can't play either, but I wouldn't mind being a caddy for someone," Bayley said. "Seth, how about it?"

"You don't have to ask me twice, angel," Seth said, using his nickname for Bayley without thinking about the company they were in.

Dean responded immediately, acting like he was about to spew up. "Ugh, really, Seth? Angel?"

Laughing, Ronda slapped him on the arm. "Leave them alone!"

"No chance. He's not living that down now."

"Well, I think it's a lovely thing to call her," Zelina said in Seth's defence.

Ronda's phone bleeped, indicating that a text message had been received. She quickly read over it. "Clementine says she didn't know about the golf event either, but she would be delighted to team with me and kick some Smackdown ass."

"That's awesome," Bayley said, smiling broadly.

"You guys will kill it," Dean said confidently, even though he had never seen either of the women play.

"I wonder if Clementine is a good player?" Ronda mused. "I've spoken to her a few times, but I still don't know much about her. She seems kind of shy to me."

"She is, I guess," Zelina said. "But she's great when you get to know her. I spent quite a bit of time with her when we were both working for NXT. We have a lot of laughs together."

"I heard a rumour the other day that she's dating Alexa," Seth said. "Don't know how true it is, though."

Ronda's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

"I heard that too," Bayley said. "I think they'd make a really cute couple, if it's true. Clem's cute anyway, with those little pig tails she always has."

"I certainly wouldn't mind seeing them getting it on," Dean said, looking at Ronda out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see if he provoked a reaction. Sure enough, he quickly received one of those glares that no one could do as well as Ronda. He laughed as soon as he saw it. "Your face. Chill, I'm just ribbing you."

"You'd better be," she replied, only half teasing.

"One day, I'm going to need to see you kick his ass," Seth chirped.

"It'll be sooner rather than later the way he's going," Ronda said, now only playing, but making it sound like she was deadly serious.

Dean said, "At least wait until we get to the hotel first. It's more enjoyable when you do it in the bedroom."

"Too much info, dude," Zelina said, cringing. "Way too much info."

The good-natured chat was typical of their time on the road together. The group of five were quickly becoming more than travel companions, they were becoming good friends.


	14. Chapter 14

_Monday Night Raw – July 16th 2018_

To start Raw's second hour, Kurt Angle came out to the ring. After taking delight in being informed that he sucked, he hyped up what a great event the previous night's Extreme Rules had been. He briefly ran through some of the highlights before arriving at the subject he was there to discuss.

"We also saw a thrilling encounter between Becky Lynch and The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey. Albeit with some outside interference, Ronda won the armbar match and added Becky's arm to her collection."

"Zelina Vega said it was going to happen and it happened," Cole admitted over boos from the crowd.

"That's three arms claimed by Rousey so far," Clementine said. "Stephanie McMahon, Bayley and Becky Lynch have all suffered from that devastating armbar."

"Speaking of which, I have a medical update for you on Becky Lynch," Kurt went on. "After the match, Becky reported pain in her elbow. She was given treatment and the elbow was iced overnight, so that she could have a scan this morning to look at the damage. The news is better than it might have been, probably because Becky tapped out so quickly, with self-preservation in mind. It was a smart decision, because she escaped with only minor ligament damage. I've been told Becky will back in action in a couple of weeks."

A mild cheer greeted the positive news as Coach said, "That's good to hear."

"Knowing Becky like I do," Kurt said, "I expect her to come back and go right back after Ronda. She'll consider their business to be unfinished after the way the match ended with Zelina Vega's involvement, which is why..."

The intro of Ember Moon's music interrupted Angle, drawing a loud cheer from the fans. Attacking Ronda and preventing her from cashing-in her Money in the Bank had increased her standing with the fans, and she had been popular even before then.

"Here comes Ember Moon, the woman who saved Nia Jax's Raw Women's Championship last night by stopping Ronda Rousey from cashing-in the Money in the Bank contract," Cole said.

"But why? That's my question," Clementine said as Moon entered the arena to another generous reaction. "Why did Ember help Nia Jax? Did Ember even do it to help Nia, or did she just want to attack Ronda? There are a lot of questions, hopefully we're about to get some answers."

Ember made her way to the ring and fetched a microphone for herself. "Kurt," she said as her music faded. "I'm as happy to hear that Becky isn't badly hurt as everyone else, but, to be honest, there's something more important on my mind. You see, since she aligned herself with Zelina Vega, Ronda Rousey has attacked and injured Bayley, cheated to win the Money in the Bank ladder match, and cheated to beat Becky Lynch. The so-called baddest woman on the planet has been acting like nothing more than a cheat and a coward, and by the time I saw her going out to the ring to cash-in on Nia Jax, I'd had enough. I didn't do what I did last night to help Nia Jax, I did it because I want Ronda Rousey."

The fans cheered the bold statement, while Angle was shown with a surprised look on his face. "You want Ronda Rousey?" he asked, wanting to be sure that he had heard correctly.

"I want Rousey," Ember confirmed assertively. "You think I'm scared of her? I'm not. She wants to try and add my arm to her collection? Let her come and try, because she'll find out what it's like to go into battle with The War Goddess."

Before Kurt could respond, Bad Reputation began to play. The music was greeted by the most heated reaction Ronda had received since her heel turn; good news for all involved.

"Here we go!" Clementine exclaimed loudly. "The Arm Collector has heard enough!"

Ronda and Zelina came storming out onto the stage, this time with Ronda in the lead. She looked ready to tear Ember apart for costing her what appeared to have been a guaranteed victory for the Raw Women's Championship.

"Look at Ronda's face!" Clementine shouted, hyping up the impending confrontation. "Ember said she wanted Rousey, and she's going to get her right now!"

"Maybe Ember should have been careful what she wished for?" Coach said.

Ronda quickly reached the ring and rolled under the bottom rope, only to find Angle standing in the way, preventing her from getting to Ember.

"Stop! Ronda, stop!" Kurt ordered. She tried to barge past him and Ember also tried to get at Ronda. He was having a hard time keeping them apart so he said, "If you want a shot at the Raw Women's Championship, you'd better listen to what I have to say, both of you."

Hearing mention of the title was enough for Zelina to step in and encourage Ronda to back off. Ember also took a step back, but both Rousey and Moon were still glaring holes in each other.

"That's better," Kurt said with some relief. "Just cool off a bit, both of you."

Zelina had walked over and took a microphone. As soon as she received it, she butted in on the General Manager. "No, you cool off," she snapped, being immediately booed for it. "We've heard enough from you, now you're going to listen to me. My client, The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey, defeated Becky Lynch last night at Extreme Rules, adding a third arm to her already impressive collection."

"With a bit of help from Vega," Coach chipped in.

"And then, in what should have been the perfect end to our night, I decided it was time to cash-in this," Zelina said, holding up the briefcase that was, as always, in her possession. "Ronda was all set to become the Raw Women's Champion, until you, Ember Moon, stuck your nose where it didn't belong. You say you want Ronda Rousey? Well I've got good, or actually, bad news for you because Ronda Rousey wants you, and she's prepared to wrestle on Monday Night Raw for the first time to get what she wants!" Even though Ronda was a heel, the announcement brought a cheer of approval.

"I think that was more than obvious just by looking at Ronda's face," Cole said.

Ember started firing back at Zelina, who simultaneously shouted back at her, both using their microphones. For a few moments, their angry shouting filled the arena, none of the words particularly distinguishable.

"Enough!" Kurt yelled after a moment. "Enough from all of you! It seems there are a lot of people wanting to get their hands on each other around here, and we're going to need a number one contender for the Raw Women's Championship for Summerslam, so here's what we're going to do. I've been told Becky Lynch will be fit to return to action in two weeks, therefore, two weeks from tonight we will see a six woman tag team match. The woman who gets the win for her team in that match will become the number one contender."

"That's a crazy idea!" Clementine exclaimed. "We'll have women teaming with each other, but with their own self-interests also in mind. They won't care about winning for their team, they'll only be wanting to win to get themselves the title shot."

"On one team," Kurt said, "we will see Ember Moon and the returning Becky Lynch, and their partner, who will also be making a return from injury… Bayley!"

"Woah!" Cole exclaimed over a loud pop from the crowd. The goal of having Bayley sit out a couple of months had been to get the audience back behind her as a babyface. It appeared to have worked.

"Bayley is coming back! Listen to this place!" Clementine cried, overshadowing her colleague once more with her reaction.

"That's quite a team," Coach added.

In the ring, Ronda and Zelina looked angered by what they were hearing, knowing that all three of those ladies would be keen to go after Ronda specifically, regardless of who she was given as partners.

Kurt said, "And on the other team we will see, as Zelina Vega just said, Ronda Rousey competing for the first time ever on Monday Night Raw. As for the rest of your team, Ronda? Frankly, I don't think you have any friends around here, so I'm going to leave it to your esteemed manager here to try and find two people who are willing to team with you. If she fails, then you'll compete in a three on one handicap match."

"That's not fair at all," Clementine objected while Zelina was shown making a face like she had just been chewing a mouthful of wasps.

"How is it not fair?" Coach asked. "If Vega is as good a manager as she likes to make out, she'll be able to easily find partners for her client."

"Fine," Zelina hissed at Kurt. "I'll find two people to team with Ronda in two weeks. And when I do, whether it's Ember Moon having her arm taken, or whether Becky Lynch or Bayley become the first woman to have their arm taken twice by The Arm Collector, someone will get their arm broken. And when they do, Kurt, that's going to be on you. Meanwhile, Ronda Rousey will go on to Summerslam, where she will become the first Money in the Bank holder ever to win the championship without even needing to cash-in the briefcase."

With the fans booing, Zelina dropped her microphone to the canvas and led Ronda from the ring, leaving Ember looking fired up for the encounter she had just learned she was going to be a part of.

"Who's going to Summerslam to compete for the Raw Women's Championship?" Clementine asked. "We're going to find out in two weeks."

The commentators continued to hype up the six woman match as the segment came to an end.

* * *

Later in the show, in a backstage segment, Ruby Riott had challenged Nia Jax to another match for the Raw Women's Championship. After Nia had pointed out that she had already beaten Ruby clean at Extreme Rules, Ruby had raised the stakes, suggesting a stipulation that if she lost again, she would dissolve the Riott Squad. Nia had accepted that challenge, and the title match had been set for the main event of the night.

Much to the surprise of the fans in the live audience in the arena and the viewers at home, Ruby Riott had gone on to win the match and become the new Raw Women's Champion. Even as a heel, her win had produced quite the positive reaction among the fan base. Putting the title on her was apparently a popular booking decision.

Liked by many of her colleagues, Ruby had walked into the locker room to a warm round of applause after Raw had gone off air. In turn, several of the women stepped forward to offer further congratulations. Ronda was one of them. She offered a hug, which Ruby accepted, still holding her newly-won belt over her shoulder.

"It looks good on you, girl," Ronda said with a smile. "Congratulations. You did a great job out there."

"Thanks, Ronda. Who knows, maybe we'll get to wrestle for it at some point? I'd like that. But no cashing-in, okay?"

Ronda grinned. "No promises. But I'd like to wrestle you, too. It might even happen at Summerslam, depending on who they have go over in the six woman match. Hell, I don't even know who's going to be on my team yet!"

Before moving on to the next person wanting to congratulate her, Ruby smiled and said, "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."


	15. Chapter 15

Wearing well-worn pairs of jeans and old T-shirts, Dean and Ronda stood next to each other, leaning on the top rail of a wooden fence, bright sunlight beating down on them from a cloudless sky.

"You've got some really nice land here," Dean said approvingly.

They were on the small farm that she had purchased about a year earlier. In front of them were the two picturesque grassy fields that had come with the property. Dean counted three cows standing around eating the grass, or grazing, as he had just been informed it was called. Behind them stood several outbuildings, and off to the right, the large farmhouse.

"It's not a big farm, but I wanted to start small to see if it was right for me. You know what it's like, sometimes ideas can seem great in your head, but they work out differently in practice. I thought it would be best to begin with something this side and just a few animals to see how it went."

"How many animals do you have? Three cows, obviously, unless there are more somewhere?"

"No, just these three," Ronda said happily. "As you can see, there is room for more in these fields. Maybe I'll get more at some point." She turned around and pointed to the largest of the outbuildings. "In there, I have three goats. You're going to help me clean out their pens in a minute."

Dean turned and looked at her with a pained expression. "You were actually serious about cleaning up goat shit?"

She grinned at him. "Absolutely. It's all part of living on a farm, and like I said last night, I gave my farmhand a couple of days off while we're here, so we'll be taking care of everything. That's why we're dressed like this."

"Can't wait," Dean said, conveying the opposite with his tone of voice.

"Oh, stop whining," Ronda said playfully. "Looking after animals is fun, and it's also a different way of getting a workout. When we're done, I'll make you a breakfast and I'll use some freshly laid eggs. I guarantee you'll notice the difference."

"You have chickens, then?"

"Seven of them at the minute," she confirmed, pointing to the small building next to the one housing the goats. "They're in there. So, in all I have three cows, three goats, seven chickens, and of course the three dogs you've already met."

"That's quite the collection, for what you called a starter farm."

"It's actually not much at all for a farm though. It's more my way of learning the ropes, to see if I'm actually any good at farming. I think I'm picking it up well, but obviously signing for WWE has taken away a lot of the time I was planning to put into it when I bought it."

"Are we going to get on with cleaning up this goat shit then?" he asked without much enthusiasm.

"We're not just cleaning up shit, Dean, we're changing their straw and bedding. We're giving them fresh food and water, and we're putting them outside into their enclosure for the day."

While Dean wasn't particularly looking forward to it, he knew that Ronda was. Not wanting to offend her, he decided to put a brave face on it and go along with what she wanted to do. He supposed that he should at least give it a chance before he decided that it was something he was going on to hate. "Alright, lead on, farmer Rousey," he said more positively.

"Farmer Rousey?" she giggled. "I like that, but I think The Arm Collector has the edge as far as gimmicks are concerned."

They both laughed as they made their way over to the goat shed. Ronda opened the door and led the way inside.

"They're bigger than I imagined," Dean said, setting eyes on the three goats for the first time. Each one had its own pen inside the building, complete with straw, bedding, feeders and large plastic containers of water for them to drink from.

"Aren't they cute?" Ronda asked.

Dean watched her walk over to the closest and start talking to it like it was child or something. It was a very strange thing to do, in his opinion. The goat in the next pen to where Ronda was standing walked slowly over in her direction, looking over the wooden wall at her.

"Come on, Dean, come and say hello," she encouraged. She gestured to the newly-arrived goat. "This is Bobby."

"Wait till I tell Bobby Roode you've got a goat named after him," he quipped.

"Bobby Roode is the goat," Ronda said with a grin. "Jesus has a worse entrance than that guy. I love it."

Dean realised that she was trying to needle him by praising one of the other guys so highly. He wasn't going to rise to the bait. Instead, he gave her a grin of his own. "Very funny, but you're not getting me on that one." He stepped up beside her, looking at the goat. It looked back at him inquisitively.

"Say something to him," Ronda encouraged, smiling broadly at his awkwardness.

"Uh, hello?" Dean ventured hesitantly.

Ronda immediately burst into hysterical laughter. "That's your greeting, is it?"

In general, Dean didn't like being laughed at. Even so, her laugh had an infectious quality to it that made him crack a smile despite himself. "What else do you want me to say? He's a goat. Am I supposed to stand here and ask him about the weather?"

Ronda roared with laughter again. He took satisfaction in the fact that he was at least making her happy. When she eventually got herself under control, she entered the first goat pen and showed him how top open the doors at the back of the building and lead the goats out into their enclosure where they would spend the day.

"Now the part you've been waiting for," she said when all of the goats were safely outside with the doors closed behind them. She walked over to a corner of the building where a couple of wheelbarrows stood, along with a couple of shovels. Two pairs of heavy duty work gloves were sitting in one of the wheelbarrows. Ronda put a pair on, then tossed the others to Dean.

"Okay, farmer Rousey, what's the procedure?" he asked, putting them on.

"First step, stop calling me farmer Rousey. Second…"

"No way," Dean cut in. "While we're here and you're getting me to do farm stuff, you're farmer Rousey. I'm going to get a shirt made for you. Maybe we can get them up on WWE Shop?"

"Do your worst," she grinned before getting down to business. "Now, what we're going to do is shovel all of the bedding and straw, along with the shit you like to keep talking about, into these barrows, and we're going to take it outside. I'll show you where to put it. When that's all done, we're going to put fresh stuff down, then we'll finish up by changing the food and water."

"You're the boss," he said, giving her a mock salute.

With that, they got down to work. It took them more than an hour to do all of the necessary jobs in the three goat pens. By that point, they were both soaked in sweat. To his own surprise, Dean had gotten into it once they had started. He stood back and looked at the results of their work with some pride. He now had some understanding of why people liked to own farms and raise animals, in addition to the obvious benefit of producing their own food.

"I have to say, I kind of enjoyed that after all," he admitted, taking his gloves off and tossing them into one of the wheelbarrows that had just been put back in the corner of the building.

"I know you would," Ronda said happily as she also removed her gloves and threw them into the barrow. "We could always move on to the chicken coup now?"

"Not a chance," he said firmly. "You can't promise a man a breakfast then try and move the goalposts."

Ronda ran her hands through her messy hair, tidying it up a bit. She stepped up to him and looked lovingly into his eyes. "I did promise you a breakfast."

"I know you did, and my stomach is rumbling."

Ronda gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "I'm so happy right now, Dean. I want you to know that."

"Me too, darlin'. I never imagined I'd find myself on a farm, but trust me, there's nowhere else I'd want to be, so long as you're here with me."

"Oh, Dean," Ronda gasped. As ever, his rare romantic comments were made all the more meaningful by their rarity. She kissed him again, and this time he took her cheeks in his hands and kissed her back in a very passionate manner.

Just like that, Ronda was burning with desire for him. She worked her hand down the front of his jeans and moved it lower. "You know what I've never done on this farm?" she breathed.

"Had sex?" he guessed.

"Exactly. I think we should fix that right now."

Dean kissed her again before saying, "Like I said earlier, you're the boss."

They were too consumed with their passion for each other to consider heading back to the house. Moments later, they were lying on the fresh straw in one of the goat pens. It wasn't a romantic location to make love, but neither of them cared in the least.


	16. Chapter 16

_Monday Night Raw – July 30th 2018_

Raw's main event was going to be the six woman tag team match, where the woman who scored the winning pinfall or submission would be named the number one contender for the Raw Women's Championship, facing the new champion Ruby Riott at Summerslam.

However, as the show went on air, there was still some doubt as to whether the match would even be a six woman tag. Two weeks earlier, Kurt Angle had told Zelina Vega that if she failed to find partners for her client Ronda Rousey, the match would instead become a three on one handicap match.

The previous week, Zelina had been shown backstage, trying to convince people to join the team. Even with the potential opportunity to win a title shot, she had not received much enthusiasm.

Half an hour into Raw, Angle was shown in his office, looking at something on his phone. He looked up when someone walked in.

The camera panned out to reveal Zelina, Ronda and Alexa Bliss. Their appearance was greeted by boos from the audience watching on the big screen in the arena.

"Ladies," Kurt greeted them in a professional manner before addressing Zelina. "Looks like you found a partner for Ronda."

"It looks that way," Zelina said icily, glaring at him. "Alexa has agreed to join the team."

"I figured it's the only way I'll get another title opportunity," Alexa said. "I'm constantly being bullied around here. If it's not Nia Jax stealing my food in catering, it's you, Kurt, deliberately holding me back and keeping me away from the title. So, yes, I'm on the team."

"Okay," Kurt said, completely ignoring Alexa's accusations of bullying. "I'll go ahead and confirm the match as a three on two, unless you'd like a little more time to find another partner, Zelina?"

"How many women do you see here, Kurt?" Zelina demanded heatedly. "You've got three women in front of you. You're looking at the team that will compete tonight. I am going to be the third member!"

That revelation was cheered by some in the arena, hyped to see Zelina wrestle on the main roster for the first time. Others booed simply because she and Ronda had heat.

"Very well," Kurt said. "Tonight, it's going to be Ember Moon, Becky Lynch and Bayley against Ronda Rousey, Alexa Bliss and Zelina Vega. As you already know, whoever gets the winning decision goes to Summerslam."

"But that's not quite true," Ronda said. She pointed at Zelina. "Because if she wins, I get the title shot."

Kurt considered that for a second before nodding his acceptance of that condition. "Okay. Zelina, if you win, I will allow you to hand your title opportunity to Ronda. Fair enough?"

"No, not fair enough," Zelina snapped. "Ronda should have been given an opportunity without this ridiculous charade of a match. But we are where we are, and one thing I can tell you for sure is the person to challenge Ruby Riott at Summerslam is standing in front of you right now." With that, she looked at Alexa and Ronda and said, "Let's go."

Kurt watched them leave, shaking his head slightly at Vega's fiery attitude.

* * *

When the time came for the main event, Ember Moon's theme music was first to play.

"Quite the reaction for Ember Moon," Cole said. "Her popularity is reaching new heights these past few weeks."

"Yeah, everyone thinks it's great that Ember stopped Ronda Rousey from cashing-in her Money in the Bank contract at Extreme Rules, right?" Clementine said. "Well, you know who doesn't think it was great? The Arm Collector herself. Moon ought to be worrying less about going to Summerslam and more about not leaving Raw tonight with a broken arm, because Ronda Rousey is going to be coming for her."

"Ember Moon is not scared of Ronda Rousey, she said so herself," Coach reminded everyone. "In fact, she flat-out challenged Rousey to a one on one match."

"But was Ember trying to convince us or herself?" Clementine wondered.

With Ember now in the ring, her music faded out. Becky Lynch's theme hit next, to an even bigger reaction.

"Listen to this ovation for Becky Lynch!" Clementine said as the Irishwoman entered the arena. "Becky Lynch is back after two weeks out with an elbow injury caused by Ronda Rousey."

"You can see the strapping on that elbow," Cole said. "Becky has been cleared to compete, but is she at one hundred per-cent? I have to doubt it."

"I'll tell you what will be one hundred per-cent," Coach said. "The effort that Becky puts into this match. No one wants to be Raw Women's Champion more than Becky Lynch. She was cheated out of winning the Money in the Bank ladder match, and she was cheated out of a victory over Ronda Rousey at Extreme Rules."

"And she almost got her arm torn off," Clementine added. "Becky was lucky she ended up only missing two weeks, unlike our next competitor, who has spent two months on the shelf courtesy of The Arm Collector."

Becky stood posing on the middle turnbuckle, receiving another cheer. When she jumped down, a few words were exchanged with Ember, who appeared to be welcoming her back.

There was a brief gap between Becky's music fading out and Bayley's beginning to play. When it did, there was an even louder ovation to welcome the huggable one back.

"What a response for Bayley!" Cole cried. "Two long months of rehab, but now she's back!"

"And so are the Bayley Buddies!" Coach said as Bayley's inflatable friends appeared.

"Bayley took to Twitter this week to say that after what Rowdy Ronda Rousey did to her, she's looking to beat Ronda and advance to Summerslam," Clementine said. "I think what Bayley seems to have forgotten is that the reason she got her arm broken was that she cost Ronda a match against Sasha Banks. She made a mistake and was made to pay for it."

Bayley entered the ring, going through her routine of giving a high five pose to three sides of the ring. When she was done with that, she was greeted by both of her teammates.

"Bayley being welcomed back by the fans, and by Becky Lynch and Ember Moon," Cole said.

"It might be all smiles now, but only one of these women can win and go on to meet Ruby Riott at Summerslam," Coach said.

"Right, Coach," Clementine said. "And that's if they even do win. This woman has no intention of letting that happen."

She was referring to Alexa Bliss, whose music was now playing. She walked out onto the stage and raised both hands in her trademark pose.

Cole said, "There's one thing I know for sure about Alexa Bliss, and that is that she cares about no one apart from Alexa Bliss. She's not out here because she wants to team with Ronda Rousey or Zelina Vega, that's for sure."

"This really is a unique kind of match," Coach said. "It might come down to which team manages to last the longest without imploding. Indeed, you could argue that it's not even important which team wins."

"I understand what you're saying," Clementine said. "The main take away from tonight is going to be learning who will face Ruby Riott for the Raw Women's Championship. Also, let's not forget that we heard Nia Jax say earlier tonight that she might invoke her rematch clause for Summerslam. If she did, would that leave us with a triple threat match?"

"I would have to assume so, Clem," Cole said.

Bad Reputation began to play. Fired up by the returns of Becky and Bayley, the fans booed aggressively as Ronda and Zelina walked out, both in ring attire. Vega was carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase as usual.

"Here come two women set for their Monday Night Raw debut matches," Clementine said. "Zelina Vega, a manager, but not someone to be underestimated in the ring, and alongside her The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey. You can see already, Ronda has those steely cold eyes locked on Ember Moon."

"Rousey wants to break Moon's arm here tonight," Coach said. "It might end up being Vega's job to keep her client focused on the task at hand, which is to win the match."

"Unless Vega wins herself," Cole said. "If that happens, Rousey still goes to Summerslam."

The face team were shown discussing who was going to start the match for them. Becky Lynch got the decision, and the other two ladies stepped out onto the apron.

On the other side of the ring, Alexa seemed reluctant to begin, and Zelina was encouraging Ronda to leave the ring, presumably to ensure she was fresh for later.

"Looks like Vega is going to start the match," Clementine said. "Honestly, that surprises me."

"Becky is certainly not going to complain," Cole said. "Vega cost her two matches with interferences. I'm sure there's some payback about to be handed out for that."

As Zelina turned around to face her opponent and the bell was sounded, the same thing seemed to occur to her. Her face dropped and she raised her hands defensively, trying to beg off. It stood no chance of working. Becky swung a hard right hand, knocking Zelina down, and the match was underway.

To the delight of the crowd, the face team dominated the early stages, with all three members getting a chance to beat the hell out of Zelina. Every move was greeted with cheers as Vega got what a lot of people felt she had coming to her.

Eventually, Alexa was able to make a blind tag and give Zelina a reprieve before she ended up losing the match.

Craftiness was one of Alexa's biggest strengths in the ring, and she soon used it to get the upper hand on Ember. That was when the heel team really came into their own. Using every crafty trick in the book, Bliss and Vega managed to keep Moon isolated from her partners, even getting several near falls.

Alexa dragged Ember to the corner once more and offered her hand to Ronda, who hadn't moved from the apron so far in the match. Zelina tagged the outstretched hand instead and got into the ring, gesturing to Ronda to stay where she was.

"Bizarre strategy from Vega in my opinion," Cole said. "She's kept her client out of the match completely. I thought Ronda wanted to get her hands on Ember Moon, but now it doesn't look like it."

"Oh, I'm sure Rousey wants Moon, but again, this is about Summerslam," Clementine said. "And Zelina knows what she's doing. She wants Ronda fresh for when she thinks the moment is right to get her in."

Shortly, Moon countered an attempted move by Vega into a headscissors takedown. It wasn't the most devastating of moves, but it did give Ember a chance to scurry for her corner, where she made a tag to Bayley, to a loud cheer from the fans.

Simultaneously, Zelina had headed for her corner, this time intending to tag Ronda. Rousey extended her hand for the tag, but Alexa shoved her aside, wanting the tag for herself.

There was an 'Ohhh' from the crowd at the aggression showed to Ronda, who glared a hole through Little Miss Bliss before shoving her in return.

Alexa fell from the apron, but got right back up again, looking angry. Her heated reaction was enough to fetch Ronda down off the apron to confront her.

"Rousey demanding to know what Bliss's problem is, you can hear her quite clearly," Cole said.

Zelina was standing by the ropes, shouting at Ronda to get back on the apron. Any chance that she might be listened to vanished when Alexa slapped Ronda hard across the face.

"Oh, I don't think that was a good idea," Clementine said over another 'Ohhh' from the fans.

Quick as a flash, Ronda lunged at Alexa, grabbing her arm and flipping her over. They both hit the floor in the perfect position for Ronda to lock in her vicious armbar. Screaming in pain, Alexa tapped out frantically on the floor with her free hand, not that it was going to achieve anything.

For thirty seconds, no one's attention had been on the match. That was a very bad thing for Zelina. With her hands on her head in despair, she turned around to carry on with the contest. She walked right into the arms of Bayley, who had been standing behind her the whole time.

"Bayley-to-Belly!" Cole shouted as the crowd exploded. "Bayley for the win!"

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

Becky Lynch had tried to break up the count to save her own Summerslam chances, but hadn't been able to get there in time. Ember was still down in the face team's corner.

"Bayley wins! Bayley is going to Summerslam!" Clementine shouted. "But look outside the ring! Look at Alexa Bliss's arm!"

Ronda had just relinquished the armbar and got up, leaving Alexa to stare in horror and pain at her arm, hideously bent out of shape at the elbow.

"Ronda Rousey broke Alexa's arm!" Coach cried. "The Arm Collector claims another victim!"

Only then did Ronda seem to realise that she had lost the match. Glaring into the ring where Bayley was celebrating, she looked very much like she felt she hadn't done enough damage for one night.

"Uh, Bayley, look out!" Cole called as Ronda menacingly got into the ring.

Unfortunately for Rousey, Becky Lynch, who had just left, happened to be looking back towards the ring and saw what was going on. She jogged back to the ring and rolled under the bottom rope, as Ember finally regained her feet on the other side of the ring. Bayley had also turned around and caught Ronda in the act before she could strike.

Just like that, Ronda's attempted sneak attack on Bayley had left her instead facing three women, who all badly wanted to kick her ass. She also had no backup, with Alexa being led to the back by the ringside doctor with a broken arm, and Zelina down on the floor, having rolled out of the ring after losing the match.

"Look at this confrontation!" Clementine exclaimed. "Rousey's not even backing down!"

Ronda grimaced, then appeared to decide that if she was going to go down, she would do so fighting. She launched into Ember, swinging powerful left hands.

With the fans cheering them on, Bayley and Becky weighed in on Ronda, flailing away with right hands and kicks. Ronda was soon overcome and forced down to the mat, where Ember joined in with the beating.

"Becky Lynch now, picking Ronda Rousey up," Coach called.

Becky set Ronda up for the Bexploder suplex and delivered it, sending Rousey to the mat with a heavy impact.

Ember was right on to Ronda, hauling her back up again and shoving her towards Bayley, who was poised to hit her own finisher.

"Moon feeding Rousey to Bayley... And the Bayley-to-Belly!" Clementine cried.

Wasting no time, Ember was already climbing to the top rope, with the crowd still going crazy. They knew what was coming.

Bayley and Becky backed off from Ronda, who, to her credit, was getting up, even after all of the punishment she had received. Once Rousey was back to her feet, Moon leapt into the air.

"The Eclipse!" Cole shouted. "Ember Moon hit The Eclipse on Ronda Rousey!"

Clementine took over as the Raw logo appeared in the corner of the screen, signifying the end of the show. The shot was on Ronda and Ember; Ronda lying unconscious on her back, Ember standing tall over her, her music playing. "Bayley has a title shot, Alexa Bliss has a broken arm, and Ronda Rousey has been taken out! My God, what's going to happen next on the road to Summerslam?"

* * *

Shortly after Raw went off-air, Stephanie McMahon sent out a tweet that quickly became a hot topic for speculation as to what it meant:

Things are going to change. August 20th.

August 20th was the night after Summerslam.


	17. Chapter 17

_WWE Summerslam – August 19th 2018_

The week after Bayley had won the right to face Ruby Riott by pinning Zelina Vega in the six woman tag team match, Ember Moon had come out to the ring and again stated her desire to face Ronda Rousey one on one.

Ronda had been left lying by the three members of the opposing team after the six woman tag team match, most notably Ember, who had finished Ronda off with an Eclipse. That was in addition to stopping Ronda cashing-in her Money in the Bank contract at Extreme Rules, effectively costing her the Raw Women's Championship.

Ronda and Zelina had come out to accept the challenge. After a verbal altercation, a fight had broken out. To the surprise and delight of most of the audience Ember had managed to get the upper hand on Ronda, and had looked set to deliver another Eclipse until Vega had dragged Rousey from the ring and they had beaten a retreat up the entrance ramp.

Those events were recounted in the video package before the second match on the card. The crowd had reacted in surprise when they had seen that Ronda and Ember were on so early.

"Will Ember Moon eclipse Ronda Rousey this Sunday?" Cole asked at the end of the video package.

Clementine said, "She had better, because if the doesn't, she's going to be the latest victim of The Arm Collector."

The shot returned to the arena. A loud cheer greeted the intro to Ember's music. The fearless way she had stepped up to Ronda had really gotten her over with the fans, and people were saying that a win for Moon could be a career-defining moment, if it happened.

"What a night for The War Goddess, Ember Moon," Coach said as she made her way down the entrance ramp. "She's a former NXT Women's Champion, but she's never competed at an event as big as Summerslam, and she's certainly never been in a bigger match than the one she's moments away from now."

Cole said, "There is no bigger match for a woman in WWE right now than to get in the ring with Rowdy Ronda Rousey, otherwise known as The Arm Collector. But one thing is for sure: Ember Moon has no fear."

"Having no fear can be a dangerous thing," Clementine said. "People who have no fear do stupid things, like challenging Ronda Rousey to a match, for instance."

"We'll see how stupid that was shortly," Cole said, implying that he thought Ember had a good chance of victory.

"We sure will," Clementine fired back, conveying the opposite opinion.

Jojo introduced Ember as she entered the ring, drawing another cheer from the fans. Her music faded, but Ronda's didn't play right away. A chant of "Let's go, Ember!" caught on.

"This Summerslam crowd is rocking, and they're solidly behind Ember Moon," Coach said.

As if Ronda, or maybe Zelina, had ordered it themselves, Bad Reputation began to play while the chant was in full flow, cutting it off immediately as boos replaced it.

"Oh my, here we go!" Clementine exclaimed. "The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey, being accompanied as always by Zelina Vega. Ever since these two ladies united, we've seen Ronda go on a path of destruction through the women on Raw like we've never seen before. Stephanie McMahon, Bayley, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss have all suffered arm injuries at Ronda's hands, and none of those ladies had made Rousey as angry as Ember Moon has."

"The thing is, Ember really doesn't care," Cole said. "I had the opportunity to talk to her earlier today and she reiterated to me that she is not afraid of Ronda Rousey. She wants to beat to Ronda; she thinks she can beat Ronda, and if she did, it would make a huge statement about her own credentials for the Raw Women's Championship."

"Easier said than done," Coach opined.

Zelina followed Ronda into the ring and quickly snatched Jojo's microphone, dismissing her from the ring. To everyone's surprise, she didn't get the chance to announce her client.

Ronda had been standing facing the turnbuckles, using the ropes to aid her in some last minute limbering up. Seeing the opportunity presented by her opponent's back being turned, Ember had rushed her, slamming her into the turnbuckles.

"The referee calls for the bell, and we're underway!" Cole cried.

Ronda had gone down in the corner, and Ember was hammering away at her with right hands like a woman possessed, being roared on by the fans.

"This is not fair!" Clementine protested. "The bell never should have been rung! Ember attacked Ronda from behind, before the match had started!"

Covering up the blows as best she could with her arms, Ronda managed to escape the ring under the bottom rope. As she did so, a cameraman was able to get a shot of her face. One of Ember's punches had apparently connected for real; a small cut had opened up below her left eye, sending blood trickling down her cheek. Seeing it on the big screen, the fans cheered loudly.

"Rousey's bleeding already!" Coach called. "Moon has cut Rousey early here."

Reacting to the cut on the fly, Ronda tried to sell it by looking stunned by the blow she had taken. Zelina was on the same wavelength. She walked up to Ronda and made a show of checking on her, shouting her name and trying to her to focus, pointing two fingers at her own eyes.

"Talking about bells being rung, Ronda really felt those right hands from Ember Moon," Clementine said. "You can see how concerned Vega is. The referee is counting Ronda out of the ring."

"The count is already at six," Cole said.

"Come on, get back in the ring!" Zelina encouraged her client as the count his seven.

Attempting to wipe blood from her cheek, only actually succeeding in smearing it, Ronda stumbled towards the apron and rolled into the ring under the bottom rope just after the eight count. The referee was ready and waiting with his medical gloves on. As Ronda got up, he set about checking the cut.

Ember had been backed off by the referee while he counted Ronda out of the ring, but she wasn't going to stand there and watch her opponent be given even more time to recover. She charged once more, taking Ronda by surprise again and hammering away with more right hands. Ronda was staggered back against the ropes, trying to cover up again. The noise from the fans was deafening. This was not how they had imagined the match would go at all, and they were loving it.

"Moon has Rousey on the ropes, literally!" Cole exclaimed.

The referee had started a five count, ordering Ember to stop attacking Ronda while she was on the ropes. When he got to four, Moon backed away, not wanting to be disqualified.

Ronda stumbled over to the corner, being held up by the turnbuckles. Zelina quickly hopped up on the apron beside her, screaming at her to get her hands up and fight back. "Hands up! Get your hands up!" she was shouting frantically.

Ember came flying in one again, this time with a handspring elbow, connecting flush with Ronda's face. The latest devastating impact sent Rousey tumbling to the mat. Looking on in horror, Vega dropped back down to the floor.

"Everyone is the Barclay's Center is on their feet!" Coach shouted. "No one can believe what they're seeing! Ronda Rousey hasn't even got a shot in on Ember Moon! Moon is on fire, and Rousey's in big trouble!"

Ember spent the next few minutes totally in control of Ronda, who hadn't even gotten out of the starting blocks. Moon hit move after move, totally having her way with the woman who had come into the match being thought of as pretty much unbeatable.

Extremely fired up by the success she was having, Ember decided to press home the advantage and go for the win. She whipped Ronda into the corner, then hit her with a second handspring elbow. As before, Ronda collapsed to the mat, flat on her back, looking beaten.

"Rousey is down!" Cole called. "I am shocked. Ember Moon has taken Ronda Rousey apart here."

"Ronda! Get up!" Zelina screeched at ringside, absolutely beside herself in panic.

Meanwhile, Ember had quickly climbed to the top rope and was poised, ready to strike.

Looking like she had no clue where she was, Ronda lumbered unsteadily back to her feet.

"There it is!" Clementine screamed as Ember leapt through the air, hitting a picture perfect Eclipse. The roof nearly came off the building, the fans thinking that had to be enough for the win.

"Moon into the cover! Cole cried.

"One!"

"Two!"

To the total shock of everyone in the arena, Ronda managed to get a shoulder up at the last moment.

"Rousey kicked out! Rousey kicked out of the Eclipse!" Clementine shouted.

"How did she do that?" Coach wanted to know. "No one kicks out of the Eclipse! Look at Vega, even she can't believe it!"

Zelina had been shown with her hands covering her face in shock and relief. Behind her, the fans appeared to be as surprised as she was. They really had thought they were about to see the upset to end all upsets.

In the ring, Ember had also thought she'd had the job done. She pounded the mat with a fist in frustration and shouted, "Come on!" at the referee, who motioned that the shoulder had been up.

While Ronda had managed to kick out, she was nonetheless in serious trouble, lying flat on her back in the middle of the ring. Wanting to keep the upper hand while she had it, Ember refocussed and hurried over there. She stood over Ronda and leaned down to pull her back up to her feet. That was when Ronda pounced, snatching hold of Ember's arm and dragging her down to the mat, flipping her over as she did so. There was a collective horrified groan around the arena. Just like that, the infamous armbar was locked in.

"Rousey pulled a rabbit out of the hat!" Clementine yelled. "The armbar, right in the middle of the ring! It's over with!"

"No! Don't tap out, Ember!" Cole shouted.

Screaming in pain, Ember stretched her free arm out in the direction of the ropes, but they were nowhere near. Her only option was to tap out. She pounded the mat in frustration as much as agony. The fans cried out in disappointment.

"It's over!" Cole cried. "Ember Moon taps out to The Arm Collector!"

"Ember made one mistake, and that was all it took!" Coach said.

Looking incredibly relieved at the way her client had gotten out of jail, Zelina scurried into the ring and went to check on her. Both competitors were down; Ronda suffering from the beating she had taken, and Ember holding her arm in pain.

"Even I have to admit, Ember had Ronda in trouble there," Clementine said. "But as you just said, Coach, she made one mistake, and that was all it took. That's how quick The Arm Collector can claim a victim."

"The match wasn't a long one, yet we did learn from it," Cole said. "We saw that Ronda Rousey can be troubled in a straight up fight, and we saw that Ember Moon has what it takes to beat her, at least in my opinion."

Ember was first to get up, still holding her arm in pain. She looked incredibly frustrated with herself at the way she had been beaten, as demonstrated when she kicked the bottom rope angrily. The fact that the fans were applauding her efforts was scant consolation.

"Ember is angry at losing, but she has nothing to be ashamed of here," Coach said. "She dominated Ronda Rousey from beginning to end of this match. She should hold her head high."

"Not quite to the end," Clementine said. "The end came, as it always does, when The Arm Collector locked in the most devastating armbar in the business."

With help from Zelina, Ronda was able to get back to her feet. Blood still seeped from the cut inflicted in the opening seconds of the match, her cheek now swelling up. Ronda appeared a little humbled by the ass kicking that had been handed to her. The two competitors stood only a couple of feet apart, one holding her arm, the other bleeding from her cheek, both breathing heavily after the short but fast-paced match.

"Unless I'm very much mistaken, it seems like there's an air of respect between these two women after that fight," Coach said.

As if to prove his point, Ronda stepped aside, granting Ember free passage to the side of the ring closest to the entrance ramp. It appeared to be a concession that while Ronda might have gotten the victory, Ember was the real winner of the contest.

Still looking annoyed at her failure to actually get the win, Ember accepted the gesture, shaking her head slightly as she made her way towards the ropes.

Just when Ronda appeared to be showing some class, Zelina whispered something to her. Ronda rushed forward and grabbed Ember from behind, whipped her around, flipped her over and got her back in the armbar.

"Oh, come on!" Cole objected. "The armbar from Rousey again! This is uncalled for!"

Ember was screaming in pain again, tapping out on the mat with her free hand.

"That's what you get! That's what you get!" Zelina was screaming at her, taking delight in the pain that was being inflicted.

Referees and officials quickly came running to the ring to get Rousey off Moon. As soon as they entered the ring, Ronda broke the hold and got up, looking pleased with herself, apparently satisfied that she had done her damage. Zelina raised her hand in triumph, drawing venomous boos from the crowd.

"Get them out of here!" Cole demanded of the referees, who were trying to do exactly that. "It looked like Ronda was showing respect to her opponent, but we should all have known better."

Albeit with some mouth from Zelina, she and her client obeyed the referees orders and left the ring. In any event, it was obvious that they had indeed done their damage. Ember was lying on the mat, holding her elbow and crying, selling the pain from what could have been a break.

"Ember Moon almost won the match, but she sure doesn't look like the winner here," Clementine said.

"Ronda Rousey and Zelina Vega are out of control," Cole said. "This isn't the first time we've seen someone seriously injured outside of a match. Now we have Ember Moon with possibly a dislocated elbow, judging by the way the doctor is attending to her."

"I agree," Coach said. "This was a step too far. We've seen this kind of thing before from Rousey, with attacks on Bayley and Alexa Bliss. I think a lot of the blame goes to that woman there, Zelina Vega. She's a real evil piece of work, and she's the one who's always in Ronda's ear."

"Blame whoever you want, there's no doubt about it, Rowdy Ronda Rousey is on the rampage," Clementine said. "The real question is, can anyone stop her?" The shot changed to show Ember being looked after by the doctor. "It's certainly not going to be Ember Moon. She came close to getting the win, but she met the same fate as everyone else who faces The Arm Collector."

* * *

Shortly after the Rousey – Moon segment ended, Stephanie McMahon sent out a tweet, following on from one she had sent a few weeks earlier:

_Things have to change. Tomorrow night, I will make sure_ _they do._


	18. Chapter 18

_Monday Night Raw – August 20th 2018_

"Welcome, everyone, to Monday Night Raw!" Cole said as the show came on air, the camera panning over the cheering crowd. "Michael Cole, alongside Jonathan Coachman and Clementine, and guys, what a night we're going to have tonight, on the back of possibly the greatest Summerslam of all time!"

Bad Reputation began to play, to a heated reaction from the fans. Week by week, Ronda was gaining more heat, thanks in part to Zelina's amazing promo work.

"And we're kicking things off with Ms Money in the Bank, The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey," Clementine said excitedly as Ronda and Zelina walked out onto the stage. Ronda was sporting a black eye thanks to the punch from Ember Moon that had cut her cheek open during their Summerslam match.

"Ronda sporting a war wound from her confrontation with The War Goddess," Coach noted.

"Ember Moon gave a great account of herself last night," Cole said. "It looked for all money as though Ember was going to beat Ronda Rousey, yet she made one mistake, allowing Ronda to lock in that armbar…"

"And that was all it took for The Arm Collector to claim her latest victim," Clementine finished for him.

"It was a good fight, but as usual, Rousey and Vega had to spoil it afterwards," Coach said. "Ronda attacked Ember from behind and put her back in the armbar, and according to a medical update we were given earlier today, Ember Moon has suffered an elbow injury that could keep her out of action for a month."

"The women's roster is already without Alexa Bliss thanks to Rousey's armbar," Cole said. "And we also have Becky Lynch and Bayley competing not at one hundred per-cent as they recover from their own arm injuries."

"Even with that injury, Bayley appeared to have the Raw Women's Championship won last night," Coach said. "That was until Sarah Logan interfered, punching Bayley in the face right in front of the referee, causing a disqualification that allowed Ruby Riott to leave with the title."

"And Ruby wasn't happy about it, either," Cole said. "She said before the match that she wanted to prove her doubters wrong by beating Bayley fair and square, and Sarah Logan prevented that from happening. We saw a heated exchange between them after the match. There could be big problems for The Riott Squad if they can't patch things up."

"We'll see about that later tonight," Clementine said. "Right now, shut up and listen because Zelina Vega is ready to address us."

Bad Reputation faded out right on cue. The crowd filled the silence with boos for the two women in the ring. "Last night at Summerslam," Zelina began, talking loudly over the raucous crowd, "The Arm Collector added another arm to her collection. Ember Moon gave it her all, and as you can see by my client's face, she got some shots in, but ultimately the outcome was the same as it always is. Ronda Rousey locked in the armbar, and Ember Moon tapped out."

"Got some shots in?" Cole questioned sarcastically. "Moon was beating the hell out of Rousey the whole match. Ronda didn't even get any offense in before the armbar, as I remember it."

"And after the match, Ember really thought The Arm Collector was just going to let her leave the ring," Zelina scoffed. "As if anyone walks away from a fight with Ronda Rousey. No, no, no, that's not how it works. Let what happened last night serve as a further warning to everyone back there in the locker room. If you get in the ring with Ronda, you will leave with a broken arm, it's just that simple. The Arm Collector is going to keep running through the Raw roster, maiming anyone who steps to her, and along the way, a time and place come where she cashes-in the…"

Zelina's monologue was interrupted by Stephanie McMahon's music. The Raw commissioner received something close to a warm reception, presumably because a lot of the speculation regarding the mysterious tweets Stephanie had sent out had centred on whether she was going to do something to stop the Rousey reign of terror. Now that she was interrupting Zelina and Ronda, that possibility seemed even more likely.

"That's Stephanie McMahon!" Cole cried as she emerged into the arena. "The boss is back!"

Zelina was shown turning to face the stage, an angry expression on her face. Being interrupted clearly was not high on the list of things she enjoyed. Beside her, Ronda was also glaring at McMahon.

"Stephanie McMahon is either courageous or crazy," Clementine said. "Let's not forget that the last time she stepped in a ring with Ronda Rousey, she left with a broken arm, courtesy of that infamous armbar. That was at Wrestlemania, and this is the first time we've seen her since."

Coach said, "I have to believe this has something to do with the tweets we've seen Stephanie send out recently. She said something has to chance, and she is going to make sure it does. Was she referring to the way Rousey has been destroying everyone on the Raw roster these past few months?"

"Logic would suggest so, since Stephanie has chosen this particular moment to come out," Clementine said. "But my question is, what is Stephanie going to do? If people like Becky Lynch and Ember Moon can't do anything to stop Rousey, what is McMahon going to do?"

Stephanie had entered the ring and walked over to fetch a microphone, noticeably giving Ronda a wide berth.

"Hello, Stephanie. How's the arm?" Zelina asked snidely before the boss could get a word in.

"My arm is healed up just fine," Stephanie said icily. "Zelina, I'm not going to apologise for interrupting you because I think we've all heard more than enough from you over the past couple of months."

A "Yes!" chant immediately started, which Zelina responded to by glaring at the crowd.

"It seems the fans agree," Coach said dryly.

Stephanie waited for the chant to die before continuing. "What you said just before I came out was that Ronda is going to keep making her way through the Raw roster, maiming everyone who gets in the ring with her."

"That's right," Zelina said stridently. "And there's nothing anyone on Raw is going to do to stop her, including you. Especially you."

One of the trademark crafty McMahon smiles appeared on Stephanie's face as she said, "I wouldn't be sure about that, if I was you."

"I don't like the sound of that," Clementine said, sounding as wary as Ronda and Zelina looked.

"You see, I was sitting at home watching the Raw women falling one by one, often to cowardly attacks like the one we saw you inflict on Ember Moon last night, Ronda. I kept thinking over and over that I was partially responsible for what was happening. After all, it was my husband and I who signed you to WWE, and to Raw. I started the process that led to you running amok through the women's division here on Raw, and the rate at which we're losing people to injuries is just not sustainable. Something had to be done to put a stop to it, or, more specifically, to put a stop to you. So I turned my attention to what I could do to stop Ronda Rousey. How do you stop someone who seems unstoppable? Then the answer hit me. I needed to bring in someone who could stand toe to toe with The Arm Collector and beat her."

"Bring someone in?" Cole asked as the noise in the crowd rose.

"Therefore," Stephanie said, "Please welcome Monday Night Raw's newest signing…"

She stepped back and pointed towards the stage as the crowd noise rose even further in anticipation. No one had expected a new signing to debut; nothing had leaked out about any new signing for Raw. The fans were now mostly standing, looking towards the stage.

All of the lights in the arena went dark. A second later, just as the fans began cheering, the sound of a female opera singer holding a high note filled the arena. An Italian flag appeared on the screen with a name written on it in the same colours as the flag, albeit alternated to stand out against the green, white and red stripes.

D'AGOSTINO

The fans erupted as music began to play, totally blown away by the signing that WWE had managed to make in total secrecy.

Elena D'Agostino was a thirty three year old Italian who had competed for pretty much every major wrestling promotion in the world apart from WWE, and had dominated the women in all of them.

It was well known that WWE had tried multiple times to sign Elena, without success. When her contract with WWE's biggest opposition had expired more than a year earlier and she had rejected the chance to sign for NXT, choosing instead to head to Japan, it had been assumed that she would never appear in WWE. Now, out of nowhere, here she was on Raw. As the lights came back up, fans could be seen literally jumping up and down, totally losing their minds.

With her long black hair in a ponytail, wearing a white sports jacket with an Italian flag on the breast, open to reveal her dark blue ring attire underneath, Elena was there on the stage at the top of the entrance ramp, in a crouched position, looking down as if she was meditating or something.

"There's no way!" Clementine screamed. "There's no way that can be…" Elena jumped up to her feet, and the crowd went crazy again. "It is! Elena D'Agostino is here! The most dominant female wrestler ever to compete in Japan is here on Monday Night Raw!"

Zelina was shown looking like she was going to need help picking her jaw up from the canvas, while Ronda stood behind her with a concerned expression on her face.

"Zelina Vega looks like she's just seen a ghost!" Cole yelled. "Elena D'Agostino is here! Is she going to fight Ronda Rousey? Is that what Stephanie McMahon is saying?"

"I can't believe it!" Coach exclaimed. "La Virtuosa, Elena D'Agostino, has signed for Raw! I never thought we would get to see it!"

"Listen to this crowd!" Clementine cried. "My goosebumps have goosebumps!"

Elena had climbed onto the ring apron. Using the top rope for leverage, she somersaulted over it and into the ring in what was recognised by everyone apart from WWE snobs as her trademark entrance. It was greeted with another tremendous ovation.

Stephanie had gone and fetched another microphone, and graciously handed it to the debutant before taking a step back, granting Elena and Ronda centre stage as they stood opposite each other, only feet apart. The entrance music stopped playing, replaced by a wall of noise as groups of fans tried to get several different chants going. Within moments, one chant became dominant and "Holy shit!" was echoing around the area. The commentary team stayed quiet to allow the audience to enjoy the atmosphere.

Looking around the arena, it was impossible for Elena not to smile at the incredible reaction. Meanwhile, Ronda and Zelina stayed in character, glaring at her, but also looking deeply concerned.

The chant filled the arena for more than thirty seconds before fading out. As soon as it did, another one took its place. Everyone was soon chanting Elena's nickname, "Daga!"

"So this is what I've been missing in WWE?" Elena asked in her heavily Italian accented English when the second chant began to fade. The fans immediately cheered loudly once again, making Elena smile for the second time.

"I still can't believe this is happening," Clementine said. "Somebody pinch me."

"I don't think it's a secret to anyone that this isn't the first time I got a call from WWE, wanting to sign me," Elena went on. "This time, though, Stephanie McMahon made a pitch that I couldn't say no to. She told me she was looking for someone to come and fight Ronda Rousey, and put an end to her streak of breaking people's arms. Ronda, you and your little puppet master there next to you like to keep talking about The Arm Collector, yes? Well, I have two arms. Let's see you come and try taking one of them."

The fans roared their approval of the confrontation Elena was apparently eager on getting into. Ronda seemed equally as keen, taking a couple of steps forward, but Zelina quickly interjected herself, telling Ronda to back off. To her obvious relief, Ronda obeyed, drawing loud boos from the crowd.

Elena turned to Stephanie. "You are the commissioner around here, yes? If you want to see me fight Ronda, book it. Book me in a fight against Ronda Rousey."

"That's a very interesting idea, Elena," Stephanie said with another of those grins. "The next pay-per-view event is Hell in a Cell, so what I considered doing is having you face Ronda in the cell, but the honour of having a Hell in a Cell match is rightly going to go to Ruby Riott, as the Raw Women's Champion, against whoever her opponent will turn out to be. So, that leaves me open to your idea." She turned to look at the crowd. "How about it? Do you want to see Elena and Ronda meet in a street fight?"

The fans responded with a loud cheer.

"I think that means yes," Cole said.

"Very well," Stephanie said, turning back to face Elena, Ronda and Zelina. "At Hell in a Cell, we will see Elena D'Agostino take on Ronda Rousey in a street fight. Then we'll see who gets maimed."

"Yes, we will," Zelina cut in haughtily, firing the fans up immediately into angry boos. "Elena, I don't know who you think you are, but this is WWE, and this is Rowdy Ronda…"

Elena cut Zelina off by superkicking her right in the face. With Shawn Michaels now retired, Elena had the most devastating superkick in the business, named the Virtuosa Kick. Its impact would have been audible throughout the arena if the fans hadn't erupted.

"That's the Virtuosa Kick!" Clementine yelled. "Zelina Vega just got her head almost kicked off her shoulders!"

"Thank God," Coach said.

"Look at Ronda Rousey," Cole said as she was shown looking down at her manager, eyes wide, shock written all over her face.

"I'll see you at Hell in a Cell, Ronda," Elena said, her accent causing her to roll the R in her foe's name. "We'll see if you break my arm, or if I break your jaw."

The commentators hyped up the match that had been made as Elena's music played and she and Stephanie left the ring, leaving Ronda to crouch down over her manager, who was out cold and possibly injured.

Clementine ended the segment by reiterating, "Elena D'Agostino is here on Raw! D'Agostino – Rousey in a street fight at Hell in a Cell! I can't wait to see that!"


	19. Chapter 19

"How do I look?" Ronda asked, looking at herself in the mirror in the hotel room she was sharing with Dean at the golf course where the charity event organised by WWE was being held. She was wearing a light red polo shirt, black shorts and a white belt. The golfing attire was completed with a black baseball cap with the Rowdy Ronda Rousey logo on it.

"As amazing as anyone could in golf gear," Dean said, walking over to stand behind her. He slipped his arms around her waist. "Those legs especially, they're to die for."

Using the mirror to look him in the eye, Ronda smiled. "Thank you, baby. You know how to make a girl feel good about herself."

"What about me? How do I look?" he asked.

"I'm still getting used to the short hair," Ronda replied honestly.

At the urging of Vince McMahon, Dean had cut his hair short a week earlier, with the idea being that it would be more suitable for the heel character that he was now playing. While she didn't dislike the new look, Ronda was still having a hard time stopping herself finding it strange every time she looked at it. She knew that would pass, though.

"Me too," he admitted.

"But you do look like a pro golfer," she added with a grin. Dean was wearing black pants and a dark grey polo shirt. He also had a black cap to go with it, which was currently sitting on the bed. "You have no red, though. We're representing Raw."

"I can represent them without wearing red. I don't know who me and Seth and playing, but we're going to win," he assured her.

Ronda put her hands on top of his, which were clasped around her stomach. "I love it when you get competitive," she said, feeling herself starting to get turned on. Sadly, there was no time for sex. They were due down in the lobby right now, to join the rest of the players.

"It's not the taking part, it's the winning," Dean said.

"At least we both have good partners," Ronda said. She had played a few rounds with Dean and Seth in recent weeks so that they wouldn't be coming into the charity event feeling rusty. She had seen enough to know that Seth was the best of the three of them. Luckily for her, it had turned out that in inviting Clementine Everett to play with her, she made an excellent selection. Clementine had revealed that she played most weekends, and had a handicap that was probably lower than anyone else that would be playing on behalf of either Raw or Smackdown.

"Overall, I think Raw have the strongest team," Dean said. "We really ought to be winning this thing."

"If we do, it's half a million dollars for that firefighter's charity Kurt chose."

"Yep, and we get the bragging rights," Dean said. Clearly, that was the more important thing to him.

"That's awful," Ronda giggled.

He shrugged. "I'm competitive."

"So what happens if we lose?" Ronda enquired.

"I'll probably spend all night sulking," Dean admitted frankly.

"And if we win?"

"Then I'll be in a very good mood, so make sure you and Clem win your point, and I'll make sure there's a suitable reward tonight when we get back here."

Ronda trembled slightly in excitement, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "I like it when I get rewarded for being a good girl."

"It's better when you're a bad girl," Dean replied gruffly.

"Yeah, it is," she breathed. "That's when you like to tie me up."

Dean leaned down and nibbled at the side of her neck. "You know it, darin'. You're very bad sometimes. The baddest woman on the planet, I've heard. The only way to keep you under control is to tie you up."

"And gag me," she added longingly. Over the past couple of months, she had gone from being reluctant to be submissive to her man to thoroughly enjoying it.

"That too," Dean said, running a finger slowly along her bottom lip. "You want me to do that tonight? You want me to keep you quiet?"

"Yes."

"Then let's hope Raw wins," he told her.

"What more motivation could I need?" she asked.

Knowing that he had her turned on, Dean decided that was the ideal moment to release his grasp of her and walk over to the bed to fetch his cap. She could think about what was to come for a few hours while she was out on the course. "We'd better get down there before they start without us," he said.

"I'm not even going to be able to concentrate on my game now. If Raw loses, it's all your fault, Ambrose."

Dean just grinned as he put his cap on. With that, they were ready to leave the room.

A couple of minutes later, they were walking into the lobby of the hotel and clubhouse, finding it a hive of activity. Almost all of the players representing Raw and Smackdown were there, along with their caddies. There were also other staff members busying themselves with whatever tasks they had been given.

"I'll see you later, darlin'," Dean said, now that it was time for them to part ways.

Ronda stretched up and gave him a peck on the cheek. "A kiss for luck."

In return, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "And one for you."

With that, he walked away to go and find Seth. Ronda had already spotted Clementine, standing off to one side of the lobby talking to Alexa Bliss, her girlfriend and caddy for the day. Natalya was also there with them. She would be caddying for Ronda, since Zelina had been ruled out of attending for kayfabe reasons. The kick to the face she had taken from Elena D'Agostino had supposedly injured her, and she had not been seen on TV since.

"Morning, guys," Ronda said with a smile as she approached the group.

Greetings were returned by all three women, then Clementine said, "We've got some waiting around to do." She pointed over to a large whiteboard on a stand near the front of the lobby. On it were the tee times for each game, with names of the relevant players written underneath. Ronda found their game on the list just as Clementine said, "We're third from last."

"Oh, man," Ronda sighed. "It might be all over by the time we finish. We might end up playing for nothing."

"Or we might be ones to decide it," Clementine said with a grin. "What do you say we go find somewhere to have a coffee or something while we wait?"

"Good idea," Ronda said.

* * *

More than an hour went by before it was time for Ronda and Clementine to walk out of the clubhouse to the first tee to get their game started. By then, Ronda was feeling fired up for the contest. Out on the course, team Raw were off to a good start, up in several of the games that were underway, including Dean and Seth's.

"Let's get off to a good start, Ronda," Clementine said, sounding hyped up. "I'm what you might call a momentum player. If we can get something going, I think we'll roll over Charlotte and Sonya quite easily."

"Sounds good to me," Ronda replied. They were walking slightly ahead of Nattie and Alexa, who were chatting away and starting as they meant to go on by carrying the clubs for the players. A loud cheer went up from the direction of the first tee, presumably as the people in the game before Ronda and Clementine's were introduced.

"Sounds like quite the atmosphere," Clementine commented.

Ronda wasn't surprised, given that ticket sales had been good. She hadn't been sure if wrestling fans would turn out for a golf event, even if it was for charity. Apparently, she need not have worried. Back in the clubhouse, they had been watching the coverage on the WWE Network, and had seen the packed galleries around the first tee and green. She imagined that later in the day there would be similar scenes around the final few holes as people tried to get a view of games that were coming to an end.

The coverage on the Network featured commentary by Stephanie McMahon and WWE's closest thing to an expert on golf, JBL. Ronda had expected that to be a rather strange duo, but from what she had heard, they had been playing off each other quite well as they called the action.

While Ronda had always gotten along great with Clementine whenever they had spoken, she still felt like she hadn't really made a connection with Raw's newest commentator on a personal level. There was a shyness about Clementine that seemed to hold that kind of thing back. Ronda considered it a fairly strange character trait to find in someone who talked to millions of people for a living, but she wasn't one to judge. She simply hoped that during the next four plus hours of golf, if the match went the distance, they would get to know each other better.

"So, how long have you been dating Alexa?" Ronda ventured. As someone who wasn't shy in the least, it hadn't really occurred to her that she might not have chosen the ideal question to open with.

"Uh, a few months. It was just before Wrestlemania when we first went on a date. But don't go around talking about it, please. We haven't gone public. Actually, today is kind of a big deal for Lexi and I as it's the first time we've done anything like this as a couple. Well, we're not doing it as a couple, she's just caddying for me, so I guess no one will put two and two together…"

"It's alright," Ronda said gently, interrupted Clementine's floundering. "I'm not going to say anything to anyone. All I wanted to say was I think you guys are a lovely couple. I was saying that to Dean not long back. I also said I love those couple of little pig tails you always have, and how I never see you without a cap on. It's a look that just suits you so well."

"I love wearing a cap," Clementine said with a little smile. "It just makes me feel more comfortable somehow. It's kind of hard to explain. Anyway, we should probably get our heads in the game."

They were approaching the first tee area, which was surrounded on three sides by grandstands full of fans. Talk about hitting your first shot under pressure, Ronda thought.

"Sonya and Charlotte are already here," Clementine said unnecessarily. Their two opponents were standing with Hunter Helmsley, whose job it was to introduce the players. Kurt Angle and Paige were also there, in their roles as team captains.

The fans began applauding when they saw Ronda, Clementine, Alexa and Natalya approaching. On her way over to greet Hunter, Ronda gave the fans a little wave of acknowledgement.

"Ronda, good to see you," Hunter said, offering his hand.

She accepted the handshake with a smile. "Hunter. Thanks for the invite. I'm glad to be here."

With that, Ronda moved on to Sonya and Charlotte, allowing Hunter to greet Clementine.

"Hey, Ronda. Good luck," Charlotte said genuinely as they shook hands.

"Thanks, Charlotte, you too."

"Good luck, Ronda. Play well," Sonya said over the final handshake.

"I'll to my best," Ronda said, smiling broadly. "I'm just hoping you guys don't embarrass me."

Sonya laughed. "I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. We've heard Clem is pretty good."

"I heard that too," Ronda said as her playing partner came over to join them. Further greetings and good luck wishes were exchanged with Kurt and Paige, and small talk was made for several minutes until their designated tee off time arrived.

"Okay, ladies," Hunter said to all four players. "As you can see, you'll be playing from the men's tee on this hole for the benefit of the fans, but you'll play from the women's tees on the other holes. Now it's time for us to toss a coin and see which team is going to have the choice of teeing off first or second. We've been giving the Raw teams the call."

"Go on, Clem, you call for us," Ronda said.

Hunter flipped a coin into the air. "Heads," Clementine called.

The coin hit the ground and Hunter bent down to check it. "It is a head," he announced before picking it up. "Raw wins the toss. Do you want to go first or second?"

Ronda really didn't mind either way, so she again deferred to Clementine.

"Why don't we let them go first?" Clementine suggested. The way the game would work was that each pair of players had one ball between them, and would take turns to play shots. "I'll tee off for us, and hopefully put us in a good position to get ahead early."

"Go for it," Ronda said openly.

"We'll go second, please," Clementine said to Hunter.

He nodded and turned to Sonya and Charlotte. "Okay, guys, you're up first. Who is going to tee off for you?"

"I will," Charlotte said confidently.

"Okay then, time for me to handle the announcements," Hunter said. A microphone had been left on a stand nearby. He went over and picked it up. "This is game number eight. Introducing first, representing Team Smackdown, Sonya Deville and Charlotte Flair!"

The fans cheered loudly. Being surrounded by the grandstands seemed to amplify the noise a lot, taking Ronda by surprise. Charlotte had just teed up her ball. She stepped back and acknowledged the cheering and applause with a polite wave. With a driver in hand, she stepped forward again and addressed the ball. The fans fell silent.

Etiquette dictated showing respect to the opposing players by remaining still and silent while they played a shot, but Ronda risked a glance at Clementine beside her. It seemed that she was thinking the same thing; wanting Charlotte to blow it with the opening drive. Charity event or not, this was a competition.

Charlotte had a nice swing, Ronda saw as her driver connected with her ball with an impressive thwack. Watching the ball fly, Ronda saw it heading for the right hand side of the fairway. It was a very good drive, and it was greeted by warm applause from the fans.

Next, it was Clementine's turn to step forward. Hunter handled the announcement. "Their opponents, representing Team Raw, Rowdy Ronda Rousey, and Clementine!"

The fans roared their approval once more. Ronda waved to all three stands in acknowledgement, while Clementine tipped her cap a couple of times and said, "Thank you." It reminded Ronda of Clem's Raw debut, where she had done the same thing. She turned to Alexa, who was standing beside her. "Your girl's seriously cute, Alexa."

"I know," Alexa whispered back, with a smile. "She really is, and she's seriously competitive too. If she catches fire out there, she's going to take Sonya and Charlotte apart."

"Good to know," Ronda whispered back. Then she shut up, seeing that Clementine was ready to take her shot.

It was obvious in Clementine's swing that she was an experienced golfer. The sound of club connecting with ball was louder than it had been for Charlotte's shot, and the fans cheered in appreciation. However, the ball started out further to the left. "Come on!" Clementine shouted after it.

Ronda saw the ball pitch on the fairway, but roll into the longer grass that was termed the rough. The drive had been a lot longer than Charlotte's, but it had ended up leaving Ronda in what promised to be a nasty positon for her first shot.

"Alright then, let's do this," Ronda said as the group set off down the first of a possible eighteen holes.


	20. Chapter 20

Losing the first hole was not how Ronda had wanted or expected the round to start. Clementine's drive had ended up in the rough, and Ronda had pulled her approach shot to the green into a bunker. It had been a real mess, allowing Sonya and Charlotte to win the hole with a par score of four.

Hoping to claw things back to even, Ronda teed off on the second hole, matching Sonya in just about managing to find the fairway.

As she walked beside Clementine on their way off the tee, Ronda decided to strike up another conversation with her playing partner, in another attempt to get to know her better. Clementine, while not coming across as ignorant, seemed to be happy with the idea of walking around the course without much chatter, even to Alexa, her girlfriend and caddy.

"So, Clem," Ronda ventured, walking beside her. "How are you liking it on Raw so far?"

"I'm loving it," Clem responded happily. "It was my ambition ever since I signed for WWE to make it to the main roster, and now I'm living the dream. I'm commentating on the best wrestling roster in the world. What I like most, though, is the fans. Whether it's in the arenas or on Twitter or whatever, people are always so kind and supportive towards me. I always get such a pop when I come out before the show. It's very humbling."

"That's because you're amazing at your job," Ronda said with total sincerity. "You make the moments that are supposed to be special actually feel special with the way you sell them. I've re-watched Elena's debut several times myself, and you really helped to sell it."

"Thanks, Ronda," Clementine said, looking slightly embarrassed by the praise. "I try my best, and people seem to like it. The only problem I've had is with Michael Cole."

"You've had problems with him?" Ronda asked in surprise. "What problems?"

"I don't know," Clem said thoughtfully, as if pondering the same thing. "It's just the last few weeks, I've kind of been getting bad vibes from him, and occasionally a bit of attitude. It's really quite surprising because he's the senior guy. He really should be doing his best to help me learn and get better."

Both pairs of players had reached theirs balls, both on the fairway. Ronda considered what Clementine had said while she watched first Charlotte and then Clementine play their shots, both missing the green.

"You know what I think?" Ronda said as they began to move on. She noticed as Clementine handed her club back to her caddy how much Alexa and Natalya were enjoying talking to each other. There was no danger of them feeling ignored, that was for sure.

"What?" Clementine asked.

"I think Cole's afraid of you stealing his thunder, or maybe even his job."

"Shush," Clem said with a giggle, clearly thinking Ronda was ribbing her.

"I'm serious. You're a better commentator than he is, I don't care what anyone says."

"Oh, come on now," Clem said bashfully. "I appreciate the kind words, I really do, but Michael's been doing this for like twenty years."

"Doesn't mean he's better than you," Ronda said simply. "Mark my words, you're heading for top job sooner or later. I'd bet Cole knows that, too."

"Well, that really is something to think about," Clem said quietly. Seeming eager to change the subject, she posed a question of her own. "What's been your favourite moment in WWE so far?"

"Oh, wow. Where do I even start?" Ronda said theatrically. "I've only just finished my first half a year, yet there are already so many memories I'll never forget. My debut, of course, was amazing. It was such a rush to walk out there and reveal to the world that I had signed for WWE. Then there was Wrestlemania."

"I have to admit, I had doubts about that match," Clem said, giving Ronda a sheepish little smile. "I wasn't sure you would be all that good in the ring, and I thought the match might end up a mess. But I'm delighted to say it blew my mind, and you were amazing. I was in that crowd and I saw people totally losing their minds when you were going after Triple H. I was losing mine, too," she added with a laugh.

"I can understand why people were sceptical of me. Hopefully I'm winning them over."

"Oh, there's no doubt about that," Clementine said as they approached their ball. "Putting you with Zelina was such a good idea. She's such a good promo, and with your fantastic work in the ring, it's a dream ticket. Your rivalry with Elena is going to be something else."

Ronda took in that high praise with a smile before addressing the ball for their third shot of the hole. It was going to be an awkward little chip onto the green. Getting the ball close to the hole would be tough. Sure enough, her shot resulted in the ball still ten feet away from the target. There was a ripple of applause from the fans who had chosen to follow their game.

Sonya played next. For a moment, Ronda was concerned that she had managed to get her chip shot into the hole, which would have given them another win and a two hole lead. Luckily for the Raw team, the Smackdown ball rolled past the left side of the hole and stopped a foot away.

Clementine walked onto the green to play the next shot for the Raw team. She picked up Deville and Flair's ball and tossed it to Sonya, conceding them their putt. It now fell on Clem to hole from ten feet to halve the hole in par fours.

"This looks fairly straightforward, but it's a missable length," JBL said on commentary for the WWE Network coverage, which had just come to the women's game.

"Clementine and Ronda already one hole behind here," Stephanie McMahon said. "Something of a surprise, because I was told to expect big things from Clementine."

Clementine played the shot, the ball curving in slightly from the left towards the hole before dropping in.

"Nicely tidied up by Clementine for the half," JBL said.

Clem acknowledged the applause by tipping her cap in her usual manner and retrieved the ball from the hole.

"Nice job," Ronda said as they started the walk over to the third tee.

"Thanks. Although if I couldn't make that we would be in big trouble."

After the tee shots had been played on the par five third hole, the conversation resumed.

"What made you want to commentate on wrestling?" Ronda asked her partner. "I mean, didn't you want to be a wrestler instead?"

Clementine grinned, finding amusement in the second question. "I have no athletic talent to be a wrestler. Frankly, I don't have the drive to train hard enough, either."

"Alright," Ronda conceded. "So what made you want to commentate on wrestling?"

"Honestly, it wasn't a huge ambition of mine. I watched wrestling casually and enjoyed it, but it wasn't like my dream job was to work for WWE. I started in radio presenting, then I got a job on a TV show that covered sports, including wrestling. I heard that WWE were looking for a new announcer, and had a preference for a woman. I put my name forward, got an invite down to Florida, and here I am."

"I'm sure they were sold on you from the start," Ronda said.

Clem gave a little shrug. "They gave me the job."

There was a pause in the conversation while the second shots were played. When they continued walking, Ronda posed another question to Clementine. "How did and Alexa get started?"

Clem didn't answer for a moment. Ronda thought she was going to have to apologise for the personal question, but then she received an answer.

"As I'm sure you know, a lot of people who are or were on NXT live in Orlando. I bumped into Alexa in the street one day, and we were surprised to learn we live on the next street to each other. We became friends, and came to learn that we were both gay. I was crushing on her big time even before then, so I plucked the courage to ask her out, and she said yes without hesitation. We haven't looked back since. We're very much in love."

"My heart," Ronda gushed, putting a hand on her chest. "You guys are such a beautiful couple, Clem. I'm talking serious goals."

"You'll have me blushing," Clem said shyly. "Go on then, what about you and Dean? How did you get together?"

"Our story is a bit less romantic than yours," Ronda chuckled. "We both got wrecked at the Wrestlemania after party and ended up sleeping together. We decided to see if it could lead to something more, and a real connection developed between us. One thing I can match you in is that we're very much in love."

"Then it doesn't matter how you got there," Clem said sweetly. "I'm really happy for you."

An idea came to Ronda and she decided to go for it in the spur of the moment. She turned around to include Alexa, who was walking along behind with Natalya. "Alexa, Clem, what would you say to a double date with Dean and I?"

Alexa smiled. "Sounds good to me. Clem?"

"Count me in," Clementine said warmly.

For the first time, Ronda felt like she had connected with Clementine as something more than a colleague. Was it the start of a friendship?

* * *

When the game reached the fifteenth tee, Ronda and Clementine were still losing by one hole. Ronda was surprised and disappointed by the way they had played. While they had managed to even things up a couple of times, they had never been in the lead. None of the brilliance she had expected from Clementine had materialised, and she could tell Clem was frustrated by her own poor play, by her standards at least.

Before they teed off, Kurt Angle approached them. As captain of Team Raw, Ronda assumed he had something important to say. She was right.

"Guys, we have a couple of games locked up ahead of you, so we'll only need one more point to win," Kurt said passionately. "That's the good news. The bad news is there are only two games behind you, and we're way behind in both of them."

"You're saying you need our point or we're fucked," Ronda surmised.

"That's one way to put it," he confirmed, before trying to fire them up. "There are four holes to go. I need you come from behind and win. Let's go! There's half a million dollars on the line here for firefighters and their families! Let's win it for them!"

An expression of renewed determination had appeared on Clementine's face. "We'll bring back the point," she told him, sounding like it was a fact rather than a promise.

"That's more like it," Alexa said to her girlfriend. "You can do this, both of you!"

"She's right, let's do this shit, Clem!" Ronda exclaimed, offering a fist bump. It was returned with interest.

It was Clementine's turn to play a shot for their team, but she had to wait for Sonya to go first. Deville hit a good shot, finding the fairway. The newly-fired up Clem followed suit, with a longer drive.

A few minutes later, it was time for the second shots to be played. Charlotte went first, showing her frustration when she pulled her shot to the left of the green and into a sand trap, known as a bunker.

Ronda stepped up to their ball in the knowledge that a door had just been opened. If she could deliver a better shot than Charlotte, there was a chance to win the hole.

As soon as she hit the ball, Ronda groaned in frustration. She had not made a full connection. Sure enough, she watched the ball land on the fairway, short of the green. To make matters worse, there was a bunker between the ball and the green, leaving Clem a nasty little shot. Getting the ball over the bunker and stopping it rolling a long way past the hole was going to be a tall order.

"Sorry, Clem," Ronda said, feeling angry at herself.

"It's not over yet," Clementine replied positively.

There was a big gallery of fans around the fifteenth green as people flocked to see what looked like being the decisive game.

Sonya took the third shot for her team, playing from the bunker to the left of the green.

"Excellent shot from Sonya Deville," Stephanie said as the ball stopped about three feet from the hole. The fans gave Sonya the round of applause she deserved.

With that shot to follow, even more pressure was heaped on Clementine's shoulders. She took a deep breath as she got ready to play.

"Getting this close is going to be difficult," JBL said. "But that's what Clementine needs to do here. She needs a half at least, or Raw are in big trouble."

Clementine hit the ball. It flew over the bunker and landed on the green. It started rolling quickly towards the hole. The noise in the crowd rose quickly as they saw how good its line looked.

"No, she hasn't..." Stephanie said.

With an eruption from the gallery, the ball rolled straight into the hole. It was a win for Clementine and Ronda. The match was now even.

"Clementine's fired up now!" JBL called as she was shown giving a double fist pump of celebration, screaming in delight.

"Where has she been all day?" Stephanie asked. "We were expecting to see special golf from Clementine. For the first time, there it is! What a shot! And look what it means to her!"

Clementine marched between Natalya, Alexa and Ronda like a little terrier, giving them all stiff high fives.

Ronda remembered that Clem had described herself as a momentum player before the round had started. "This is good," she commented to Alexa as Clem walked onto the green to fetch the ball from the hole. She acknowledged the applause, then led the way to the sixteenth tee, walking at a brisk pace.

Having just won a hole, the honour of playing first went to the Raw team. It was Ronda's turn to take a shot. The next hole was a par three, meaning the object of the tee shot was to get on the green, as close to the hole as possible.

"Just put me on the green," Clem said.

Ronda saw that the hole was pretty much in the middle of the green. She did her best to aim for it, feeling fired up herself by what Clem had just done on the previous hole. This time, she connected well with the ball. However, she soon realised she had chosen the wrong club. Her shot was going to come up short again.

"Damn it," Ronda groaned as the ball landed on the front of green, but nowhere near the hole. She estimated that she had left a putt of twenty five feet. "Sorry," she added to Clem as she passed her club back to Natalya.

"It's okay, we're on the green," Clem replied. "Let's see them do better."

Unfortunately for them, Charlotte did exactly that, managing to leave the Smackdown ball about twice as close as the Raw one was.

Clem was off marching towards the hole, leaving Ronda and the caddies trailing.

"We've got this now," Alexa said to Ronda without any doubt in her voice. She was obviously referring to the new level of performance and motivation Clementine had just found.

They were soon on the green. Furthest away from the hole, it fell to Clem to play first. While she crouched down to line up the putt, Ronda stood nearby, feeling her heart beating quickly. She really did want to win so badly. If only she could have gotten the ball closer to the hole, she raged inwardly.

"Clementine standing over a long putt here in the women's game," JBL said as the coverage returned to them. "She'll be looking to at least leave this close."

"Come on, Clem," Ronda whispered to herself.

Clem played the shot, starting the ball out to the right hand side of the hole. As it made its journey, it started to curve back in. The line looked good, causing the noise in the crowd to rise as they urged it on.

"She hasn't, has she?" Stephanie asked.

To another tremendous roar from the crowd, the ball rolled into the hole. Clem was shown doing the almost manic double fist pump celebration again, yelling like a woman possessed.

"Oh, I don't believe it!" Stephanie cried. "We're really seeing some golf here from Clementine! Team Raw go one up with two to play!"

"Look at Clementine and Ronda!" JBL exclaimed. The two women had exchanged a high five and were shouting in delight in each other's faces.

As Clementine went over to celebrate with the two caddies, Ronda looked over at Sonya and Charlotte. Sonya was lining up her putt, which she still had to halve the hole. Charlotte looked like she had taken a body blow when Clem's putt had dropped.

Sonya played her shot. The ball slipped past the left side of the hole, giving Raw another win. Those supporting Raw in the crowd cheered again. Clem was off towards the seventeenth tee at a brisk pace.

"Rousey and Clementine into the lead for the first time all day," Stephanie said.

"And what a time to do it," JBL added. "They go one up with only two holes to play. If they can see it out, Team Raw will win the competition."

Ronda was happy with her tee shot on the par four seventeenth, the ball finding the middle of the fairway. Even better was Charlotte hooking her drive wildly into the trees.

As they walked towards their ball, Clementine said nothing to Ronda, who certainly didn't want to break her concentration. She did notice the rest of the Raw team who had already finished playing, walking with Kurt Angle over by the fans who lined the entire length of the hole. Everyone knew now that this match was going to decide it.

Before Clementine could play, it was Sonya's turn to try and produce something from among the trees. She was left with no other option than to knock the ball a short distance up the fairway, back into play.

"And now Clementine," JBL said. "Realistically, Team Raw have two shots from here to guarantee a win, no matter what Charlotte can produce. Somewhere on the green, and Clem will be happy."

Clementine played her shot, holding her pose as she watched the ball fly.

Time seemed to slow down for Ronda. There was a bunker at the front of the green. It looked possible that the ball was heading for it, but if it cleared it, it was going to be close to the hole. For better or worse, Clem had gone all in.

"Be good!" Clementine shouted, willing her shot to turn out well.

The ball landed just past the bunker and rolled to within two feet of the hole. The huge throng of fans erupted for the third time in three holes.

"What a wonderful shot," Stephanie said in amazement.

Clementine was shown standing with her club raised in the air in celebration.

"You've got to believe Clementine has just won the event for Raw," JBL said.

As he was speaking, Sonya and Charlotte walked over towards Clem and Ronda. Sonya took her cap off and offered her hand to Clem, conceding defeat. Another cheer went up.

"And there's the handshake," Stephanie said. "Clementine and Ronda Rousey win. Team Raw win. What a fantastic day of golf this has been."

"Well played, Clem," Sonya said as they shook hands.

"Thank you," she replied politely.

"I'm glad you didn't play like that all day," Charlotte said with a smile when it was her turn to shake hands.

"You guys played well all day," Clem offered as consolation. "You probably deserved to win."

Sonya and Charlotte moved on to shake hands with Ronda. Some more kind words were exchanged, then suddenly the rest of the Raw team were there to celebrate with them. Most people went to Clem to congratulate her on her heroics. Ronda saw Dean making his way over to her, and she stepped forward to meet him.

"Well played, darlin'," he said with a happy smile.

"Thank you!" Ronda said warmly before stretching up to give him a peck on the lips.

Lost in the moment of victory, she hadn't stopped to think that there were colleagues, fans, phones and cameras everywhere to see and capture the kiss. Within minutes, the wrestling community had another big talking point to amuse themselves with. Dean and Ronda's relationship had gone public.


	21. Chapter 21

_WWE Hell in a Cell – September 16th 2018_

WWE's run of having Ronda's matches early on the pay-per-view cards continued at Hell in a Cell. The logic behind it was that it would leave open the possibility of her reappearing later in the night to cash-in her Money in the Bank contract.

However, when Ronda entered the arena for her street fight against Elena D'Agostino, there was no briefcase in sight. Neither the briefcase nor its designated keeper, Zelina Vega, had been seen since the night of Elena's debut, where she had almost literally kicked Zelina's head off her shoulders.

"Ronda Rousey coming out alone," Clementine observed. "Still no sign of Zelina Vega, her manager, who was taken out several weeks ago by Ronda's opponent tonight, Elena D'Agostino, who will be making her official WWE debut."

"Who would ever have thought you would be saying those words?" Cole asked. "I for one had resigned myself to the fact that we would never see Elena in WWE, but you know what they say: never say never, especially in WWE."

"We can all agree that Elena is a fantastic wrestler; a show-stealer; one of the best female athletes in the world, and one of the most accomplished female wrestlers of all time," Coach said. "But with all of that notwithstanding, she has never competed in a WWE ring, or against an opponent like Rowdy Ronda Rousey. Daga needs to keep her focus away from the hype and on the fight she's about to get into."

"And it was a fight that Elena requested," Clementine added. "She was the one who asked Stephanie McMahon to book a street fight, and her request was granted."

Ronda was dressed for a fight, wearing black pants and boots, and her latest merchandise t-shirt with The Arm Collector written on it in the same font that had originally belonged to Rowdy Roddy Piper. With no Zelina to handle the announcement of her, it was left to Jojo to do the honours as Ronda entered the ring.

"The following contest is a street fight! Introducing first, from Venice, California, The Arm Collector, Rowdy Ronda Rousey!"

Some of the fans booed the introduction, but their main focus was on what was next to come: Elena D'Agostino's first ever entrance for a WWE match. It promised to be quite the spectacle. The fans had already taken to singing along to the tune of her theme music, in a similar way to the reactions that Sami Zayn often got.

Bad Reputation faded out. Everyone in the building appeared to be on their feet, looking toward the stage, waiting for Elena's entrance.

The lights in the arena went out, and the Italian flag with the name D'Agostino appeared on the screen as the female opera singer holding a high note served as an intro. The fans went wild for their new favourite female star.

"Listen to this reaction!" Clementine cried. "I swear, the building is shaking!"

A spotlight pierced the darkness, shining on Elena, who was crouched at the top of the entrance ramp. There was another loud cheer.

"Here we go!" Cole yelled as Elena leapt to her feet, the lights all coming back on at the same moment. That was when the part of the music began that the fans sang along to. It was close to deafening.

"I wish you could be with us to experience this atmosphere!" Clementine exclaimed.

"This is incredible, no doubt," Coach said. "For those who haven't seen Elena in action before, let me tell you that you're in for a real treat. She's tough, she kicks ass, and she puts on a great show while she's doing it."

"Here we go," Cole said, leading into Elena's entrance to the ring.

Standing on the apron, she took hold of the top rope and used it for leverage to summersault into the ring, drawing yet another loud cheer. With that, Elena took off her white sports jacket with the Italian flag on the breast and dropped it over the top rope.

"And her opponent," Jojo announced. "From Milan, Italy, La Virtuosa, Elena D'Agostino!"

Another cheer went up. The fans couldn't wait to see Elena in action, or to see what they assumed was going to be a brutal fight get underway.

Both women were ready. The referee called for the bell, drawing yet another cheer.

"The bell has sounded," Clementine said. "Rousey – D'Agostino. I've got a feeling only one of them is going to walk away from this street fight. Which one is it going to be?"

Ronda seemed a little surprised by the fact that Elena came forward with her fists up in a fighting stance.

"Daga really does want to fight Ronda," Cole said. "I'm not sure how smart that game plan is."

The two women had stalked each other around the ring for a moment before Ronda attempted a couple of jabs, not getting through Elena's defences.

Clearly annoyed and not respecting her opponent as a fighter, Ronda threw a big left hand, going for a knockout blow.

Elena simply swayed out of the way of the potentially devastating strike, even pulling a face at it in the process. The crowd cheered her on, loving the showmanship.

Angered by the disrespect, Ronda game flying back in with more jabs. But then things changed quickly. After blocking one of Ronda's strikes, Elena suddenly came out firing with her own offence. Her first punch got through, and Ronda was immediately rocking.

"Oh, Rousey's in trouble! Rousey's in big trouble!" Clementine shouted as punch after punch connected, Elena's hands moving at lightning speed.

The fans could barely believe what they were seeing. They roared Elena on as she battered Ronda with rights and lefts. The Arm Collector had been backed into the corner, just trying to cover up and defend herself. Even so, damage was being done.

With Ronda stuck in the corner, the referee stepped in to separate the two women. He backed Elena off into the middle of the ring, but as soon as Ronda came stumbling out of the corner, Elena rushed back over there and hit her with a thunderous right hand that Ronda barely even saw coming. She went down like a bag of wet sand as the crowd erupted.

"Rousey's down!" Coach yelled. "If this was a boxing match, that would be a knockout."

It was a knockout in WWE, too. Elena got down and made a cover, and the delighted fans all counted along.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"It's over!" Cole called in shock, over an absolute eruption from the fans.

"It happened so fast!" Clementine yelled. "Ronda Rousey just got knocked out by Elena D'Agostino! The fight lasted barely a minute! I can't believe it!"

"I'm in shock!" Coach added. "I don't think anyone saw this coming!"

Elena's hand was being raised by the referee. As befitted her character, she accepted the victory with an arrogant demeanour. The arrogance was one of the things people loved about her. She snatched her hand away from the referee before rubbing her hands together in a dismissive gesture that indicated she had dispatched Ronda easily.

"Mark tonight down as the night the game changed in the Raw women's division," Cole said. "Ronda Rousey had previously been unstoppable. We thought this street fight was going to be an absolute war, but it ended almost before it got started."

Elena left the ring with an unflattering look back at Ronda, who was only just starting to come round after the punch that had put her down.

"Here we see the way the match ended," Clementine said as a replay began. "Rousey had already taken some heavy blows before the referee backed Daga off. Ronda comes out of the corner, and I don't think she knows where she is. She doesn't even have her hands up, and then..."

"Boom!" Coach finished for her as the right hand connected in super slow motion. Ronda had done a great job of selling the supposed knockout, going limp the moment Elena's not quite clenched fist had hit the side of her face.

"Honestly, I think Ronda Rousey underestimated Elena D'Agostino," Cole said as the replay ended and Ronda was shown sitting on the mat, looking up towards the stage where Elena was standing. She looked stunned by either the punch, or the fact that she had been beaten, or both.

On the stage, Elena showboated by kissing her right fist, the one that had done the damage, and raising it in celebration for her final cheer of the night.

"I have to wonder how big a role the absence of Zelina Vega played in this," Clementine said. "Vega is the strategist; the mastermind behind The Arm Collector. Did Rousey come into this match underprepared, possibly even complacent?"

"You might be right, Clem," Coach said as Elena was shown leaving the stage. "But whatever the reason, Ronda Rousey got knocked out by Elena D'Agostino. La Virtuosa could not have made a bigger impact on her WWE debut."

The final shot of the segment was Ronda glared up at the stage, looking like she had murder in mind.

"It was a great victory," Cole said. "But looking at Ronda's face, I think she's going to want revenge."

The lights above the ring went off, telling Ronda that her segment was over. She slowly got up and left the ring, making her way up the entrance ramp to the back.

Off-screen, Elena D'Agostino had none of the arrogance that was synonymous with her character. She was waiting for Ronda in Gorilla and immediately offered a hug when she came through the curtain. "Thank you, Ronda," she said, her Italian accent rolling the R as always. "The crowd was on fire!"

"It was great," Ronda smiled broadly, walking into her new colleague's arms. "If the rest of our run gets that kind of reaction... Holy shit."

"I really hope so," Elena grinned as they parted. "I can't wait to find out what's next for us."

* * *

Later that night, Ruby Riott pinned Bayley in the second ever women's Hell in a Cell match to retain the Raw Women's Championship.

Before the match, Ruby had ordered the other two Riott Squad members not to try and interfere in any way, wanting to win the match on merit. That had given some people the impression that Bayley might get the win, but it hadn't gone that way.

Another popular theory had been that Ronda Rousey would cash-in her Money in the Bank contract on the winner after the match, but that had not happened either. Ruby Riott left Hell in a Cell as champion.


	22. Chapter 22

Upon arriving at the arena for Raw, Ronda had been summoned to see Vince McMahon. The fact that the Chairman wanted to see her was something of a surprise, since most of her dealings since signing for WWE had been with Hunter, who seemed to her to be handling a lot of the booking for the women's division on Raw.

When she walked into the boss's office, Ronda found out that she wasn't the only one who had been called to the meeting. Seeing the other person standing in front of Vince's desk gave her a good idea as to what she was about to be told, and it made her heart start beating a little faster in anticipation.

"Ronda, good," Vince said in his usual loud and enthusiastic manner, leaning back in his chair behind the desk.

"Hey, Vince. You wanted to see me?" she asked politely, before greeting the other person in the room. "Hi, Ruby."

"Ronda," Ruby said with a genuine smile. The Raw Women's Champion didn't have her title belt with her, Ronda noticed.

"Tonight's the night, Ronda," Vince announced, getting right down to business and looking delighted to deliver the news. "You're going to be cashing-in the briefcase on Ruby, and you're going to become the Raw Women's Champion."

Ronda did her best to take the overwhelming news in her stride. Working for WWE and eventually becoming a champion had been a dream of hers since childhood, and had continued to be so during her time at UFC. When she had been told that she was going to be the winner of the Women's Money in the Bank, she had naturally assumed she was going to end up as Women's Champion at some point. Even so, with the dream now only hours away from becoming a reality, she felt very humbled and a little lost for words. "Thank you. That really means a lot to me," was all she could manage.

It was Ruby who responded, offering a hug. She was clearly going to be magnanimous about handing over her championship. It didn't surprise Ronda, who had always found Riott to be pleasant and friendly in the locker room.

"Congratulations. I'm really happy for you. You'll make a great champion," Ruby said.

Ronda accepted the embrace, patting Ruby on the back in appreciation of the kind words. "Thank you so much. I'm sorry to have to take it off you. You've done an amazing job with it." The sentiment was widely echoed by WWE's fan base, who had been extremely impressed by the Riott title reign, which had initially been met with scepticism by many.

"I'd like to echo what you both just said," Vince said as the two women let go of each other. "Ruby, you've done of lot of great work to elevate yourself on this run, and we're making good progress with your face turn. And Ronda, I have no doubt that you'll carry the belt exceptionally well as you represent Raw's women and the company."

Both women thanked him for his words, then Ruby had a question. "So, how do we get this done?"

Vince leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk as he explained the idea. "You're going to face Elena one on one in a non-title match, after your Hell in a Cell match win over Bayley last night, and Elena's shocking knock out of Ronda. It will be mentioned earlier in the show that Ronda hasn't been seen all day, and of course Zelina hasn't been on TV since Elena kicked her head off."

"Alright," Ruby said, taking in what he was saying with a thoughtful nod while Ronda listened in silence.

"We hope to come through on your face turn tonight, too, so you'll be out there for the match without Sarah and Liv again. Elena will look like she's about to pin you after hitting her Virtuosa Kick, but Sarah and Liv will hit the ring and attack her, causing a DQ. They'll throw her out of the ring, then shock the audience by giving you a beat down also. After they've taken you apart, Ronda and Zelina will come out with the briefcase and cash it in. She'll quickly get you in the armbar, claiming your arm for her collection as well as the belt."

"Sounds awesome to me," Ronda said, with as humble a smile as she could manage.

"Me too," Ruby agreed, sounding genuinely excited by what she was being asked to do. Ronda found her attitude admirable to say the least. "We're getting quite a bit done with this," Ruby went on. "It breaks up the Riott Squad, hopefully turns me face, puts Ronda over and crowns a new champion."

"Exactly," Vince replied with a self-satisfied nod. "You can work out the finer points when you lay out the match with your agent, so that's all for now. Thanks for coming in."

They both thanked him again before heading for the door.

"Ronda?" Vince called, apparently having remembered something he wanted to say to her.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Hunter needs to see you, too. Find Clementine and take her with you."

"Uh, sure," Ronda agreed, a little surprised by the request. She left the office, talking to Ruby but wondering what business Hunter could have that required her and Clementine. The only thing that connected them was a fledgling friendship and the successful round of golf they had played together in Raw's winning effort at the charity event, securing the half a million dollar prize for the firefighter charity that Kurt Angle had selected as his good cause of choice.

A couple of minutes later, Ronda and Ruby walked into the women's locker room. Clementine was in there, sitting next to her girlfriend Alexa Bliss. Ronda walked over and smiled as she interrupted their conversation. "Hey, guys. Sorry to jump in, but Hunter wants to see us, Clem."

Ronda saw a flash of surprise in the commentator's eyes under the trademark baseball cap that she literally always seemed to wear, along with the two little pig tails in her brown hair. Ronda found herself thinking, not for the first time, that it was no mystery what Alexa saw in Clem – she was cute as a button.

"Me? What would he want me for?" Clem asked in confusion.

"Ask me one on history," Ronda said with a shrug. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

"Right," Clem said with a little grin at the joke. She said goodbye to Alexa, then followed Ronda to the door.

"The only thing I can guess is it must have something to do with the golf event," Ronda said once they were out in the hallway.

"Possibly," Clementine said, falling in step beside her recently acquired friend. "Listen, I want to thank you again for asking me to partner you. I had a great time. It's nice to think I'm making a friend around here. Other than Lexi, I don't really know anyone that well."

Ronda could understand why. Clementine came across as shy, only talking when she was spoken to in the locker room and never volunteering much about herself. It was natural for some people to be that way, but it didn't help for building friendships. Ronda decided that she was definitely happy to be the friend Clem was looking for. "You're definitely making a friend," she said with a reassuring smile. "How could you not be after carrying my ass around that round of golf, and getting us over the winning line with those three amazing shots?"

Hearing the kind words seemed to instantly put Clementine more at ease. She looked at Ronda and made a joke of her own. "So I'm only useful as a golf partner, huh?"

A mischievous expression appeared on Ronda's face. "I'm sure Lexi has other uses for you. They might not be appropriate for me though."

Clementine looked away, blushing. They reached Hunter's office before she could put together a response.

The more confident Ronda knocked the door and led the way into the office. They had to wait a minute while Hunter finished a casual chat with a few of the male wrestlers, before sending them on their way.

"Vince said you wanted to see Clem and I," Ronda said with an approachable smile once they had the room to themselves.

"That's right, ladies. Have a seat," Hunter said pleasantly as he sat down behind his desk. There were two leather office chairs in front of the desk.

Ronda and Clementine sat down, waiting expectantly to hear the reason for their summons.

"First of all, congratulations on winning the deciding point for Team Raw at the Charity Invitational Golf Championship. You played incredibly well."

"Clem might have done. I was crap," Ronda chuckled.

Hunter smiled broadly at the joke. "Be that as it may, you guys brought in the winning point for Raw, securing half a million dollars for The Firefighters Foundation. I have a question for you both. Who do you think were the top three WWE employees being mentioned on Twitter for the twenty four hour period after the end of the contest?"

A loud laugh came from Ronda. "Me and Dean for sure. Everyone was losing their shit because I kissed him without thinking about what I was doing. It was all I had in my mentions for days afterwards. At least it stopped us having to worry about when we might want the news of our relationship to go public."

Hunter and Clementine both laughed. "Yes, you and Dean are the top two," the boss confirmed. "How about number three?"

Ronda and Clementine exchanged blank looks, lost as to what he was getting at.

"Clem, it was you," Hunter revealed.

"Me?" Clementine asked, very surprised. "I guess people liked those last few holes more than I realised."

"Partially that, yeah," Hunter said. "But they also really liked the combination of Ronda and Clementine. There were a seriously large number of tweets saying people wanted to see the two of you together again in some way."

"I don't want to get in the ring," Clem said quickly, holding a hand up to ward off that possibility before it could get started.

"Good, because that's not what I had in mind. What you're going to do, both of you, is go to Pittsburgh, to the HQ of The Firefighters Foundation. You're going to present them with one of those large presentation cheque things, you know the things I mean, for half a million dollars. It'll be a very good press and PR opportunity for all involved."

"Count us in," Ronda said after another glance at Clem. "It's a very good cause, so anything we can do to help..."

"Excellent," Hunter said, pleased but not at all surprised by either woman's willingness. "That's not all, however. There is a further idea we've been discussing, and would like to go ahead with if you're up for it."

"Which is?" Clem asked with some nervousness, sensing something in his tone.

"We'd like to make a documentary for the WWE Network. People want to see Ronda and Clem, so we'd like to give them Ronda and Clem. We want to film you both doing some basic firefighter training, followed by having you with a crew, riding with them to real call outs. Obviously you wouldn't be involved in those real call outs, you'd just be there to experience the guys in action first hand, with a film crew."

Ronda saw that Clem looked uncertain, but personally, she loved the idea. "I'm totally there for that," she said excitedly. "I did something kind of similar with my shark diving show earlier in the year, challenging myself to learn to dive and then facing my fear by coming face to face with a shark. This would be a similar experience in a different setting, so absolutely, I'm in."

"Erm," Clem said slowly. "I don't know, guys."

"You can do it, Clem," Ronda encouraged. "Really, have confidence in yourself. You're a badass. You can totally do this. We'll do it together."

"You think I'm a badass?" Clem asked, eyes widening.

"Are you shitting me?" Ronda said. "You're our first female main roster announcer. You're the best damn announcer we have. You went out there and played golf in front of a whole shit load of people, and you smashed it. Absolutely you're a badass. So are you in?"

Clementine felt astounded and proud that Ronda Rousey thought she was a badass. It was something she would never have expected to hear. She usually just tried to keep herself to herself and do her job as best she could, happy just to be with her girlfriend Alexa when she wasn't at work. But now she realised Ronda meant everything she said about being her friend, and wanting to do this new show with her. Maybe she really could do it?

"We'll do it together, and we'll make sure we're both okay," Ronda said. "And if one of us absolutely can't do it, then neither of us does it and the show doesn't air. That work for you, Hunter?" She looked at him and he nodded.

"Agreed. But that won't happen. I know you, Clem. I've seen you when you really put your mind to something. You'll do just fine. If I doubted that, I never would have pitched the idea."

Clem looked between them and smiled. "Then I guess we're going to firefighter training!"

"Alright!" Ronda exclaimed, delivering an emphatic fist bump to Clementine.

* * *

_Monday Night Raw – September 17th 2018_

The fans booed loudly as Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan beat the hell out of Ruby Riott, their now former leader. They had also disposed of Elena D'Agostino, who had seemed a moment away from getting her first Raw win with her patented Virtuosa Kick.

"Alright, you've done enough!" Coach said heatedly.

With Elena lying face down on the floor outside the ring and Ruby flat on her back inside it, Sarah and Liv appeared to agree with him. Their music began to play and they bailed from the ring, leaving the destruction behind them.

"We've just seen the end of The Riott Squad," Cole said.

"I'm not surprised," Clementine said. "For weeks now we've seen Ruby telling Sarah and Liv not to come out, that she didn't need them to..."

She was interrupted by the music stopping abruptly. Bad Reputation hit, to a loud cheer. Heel or not, everyone had instantly cottoned on to the fact that this was a Money in the Bank cash-in.

"Wait! That's Rousey's music!" Cole shouted.

"Oh my God, here we go!" Coach yelled. Ronda and Zelina came storming out into the arena, straight past Logan and Morgan, who stayed well out of the way.

"This is the moment!" Clementine screamed. "Zelina Vega is back! Ronda Rousey is here! They have the briefcase! They're going to cash it in!"

"Ronda was embarrassed by Elena D'Agostino last night, but that's the furthest thing from her mind right now," Coach said.

Ronda and Zelina had already reached the ring. They entered under the bottom rope, to be confronted by the referee who had been checking on Ruby, who was starting to stir.

Another huge cheer went up as Zelina slammed the briefcase into the referee's hands, screaming at him to cash it in.

"They're doing it! They're cashing-in!" Cole yelled. "Ruby Riott doesn't even know where she is, but it doesn't matter!"

"That's what the briefcase is all about," Coach said. "Find the moment. Find the right moment. That's what Rousey and Vega have done."

Ruby was on her feet in the corner. Vega bailed from the ring, her part already played. Ronda stood poised, ready to claim her prize.

"The referee calls for the bell!" Clementine exclaimed.

Riott came staggering out of the corner, only to be scooped up onto Ronda's shoulders in a Samoan Drop position. It was converted into a powerful slam that put an end to Ruby. There was just the exclamation point to put on it.

"Armbar! Armbar locked in!" Cole called as Ronda smoothly transitioned into the move.

"It's over with!" Clem pronounced.

She was right. Ruby spent a couple of moments howling in desperation and pain before she could take it no longer. She tapped frantically on the mat with her free hand, to another loud reaction.

"Rousey's the champion!" Cole called. "Ronda Rousey is Raw Women's Champion!"

"The Arm Collector strikes again!" Clem called. "This time she claims an arm and a championship!"

Zelina had already fetched the title belt. She entered the ring with it and approached Ronda, holding it out to her.

While trying to stay in her heel persona (crying was certainly to be avoided), Ronda took the belt, determined to savour every second of this moment. She was Raw Women's Champion. The fans were losing their shit. She had goosebumps all over her arms. Yet she had to look like a cold-hearted killer as she raised the belt in the air for the hard camera, Zelina standing beside her, pointing proudly. What a close to the show that was for the commentary team to sell.


	23. Chapter 23

"Firefighter training?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why firefighter training? And why Clementine? She's just a commentator. They could have had Charlotte or Becky do it if they didn't want another Raw woman with you."

Ronda smiled at him across the table at the steakhouse he had brought her to for a celebration of her championship victory. He had asked her what kind of food she would like to get, and she had said a big ass steak. Her word had been his command, and here they were, dressed up and ready to enjoy fine food and a good time, not to mention a bottle of wine and a few beers, the first of which had just been ordered.

"Why Clementine?" she began. "According to Hunter, people loved our pairing at the golf event. He said Clem had the third most mentions among WWE people that day, after me and you, and you know why we were top two."

"Yeah, people jealous I'm banging you," Dean said, with a little grin.

"It was the other way around in my mentions," she assured him with a laugh. "I'm not popular with your fangirls right now."

"Fuck 'em," Dean said simply. "So people want to see more of you and Clem, and Hunter's going to give it to them?"

"Exactly," Ronda confirmed.

"I wouldn't mind seeing some Ronda and Clem action," he said, mischief in his eyes. "She is gay after all."

Ronda rolled her eyes. "We're not making porn. And being gay doesn't mean she wants to get with every woman she comes across, believe it or not."

"I'm just teasing," Dean assured her. "You know I like Clem. She's a great kid, once you get her to talk to you."

"I really like her," Ronda said seriously. "Weirdly, considering the job she does, she's really quite shy. But I think we're becoming friends. She only agreed to do this firefighter show because I said I'd do it with her. I think it helped that I called her a badass, too."

Their server arrived with their drinks, pouring a glass of wine for Ronda. They placed their orders, and the server left them to it.

"So, why the firefighter training? Sounds like it might be a bit dangerous," Dean said before savouring a first sip from his beer.

"It might be dangerous," Ronda replied without showing any sign of nerves. "But so is diving with sharks. So is wrestling, come to that. UFC certainly is. We all do dangerous things all the time. Hunter wanted us to go present The Firefighters Foundation with the money Team Raw won. Clem and I were both up for that. Then he pitched this additional idea of a show for the Network where we do some training and then go to some real call outs with a crew."

"How much training will you have to do?"

Ronda made a start on her glass of red wine. "Oh, Dean, that's great," she sighed as she set the glass back down.

"Good," he smiled happily, waiting for her to go on.

"Hunter didn't give us much detail about what the training would involve to be honest. I'm going to guess it'll be how to put all the kit on, I'm sure that's plenty difficult, and then maybe putting out some basic fires. Me and Clem will own it, whatever it is."

Dean set his beer glass down again. "I don't doubt that. Much like you're going to own the women's division now you're the champion."

"Are you trying to flatter me, Mr Ambrose?" Ronda asked coyly. "Because flattery will get you everywhere."

Dean leaned forward. As he did so, Ronda saw something in his eyes, but she couldn't figure out what it was. "Maybe I am," he said. "Or maybe I'm just stating a fact. Either way, I'm really pleased for you and proud of you that you've won your first belt. I knew it was going to happen sooner rather than later, which is why I bought this."

Before Ronda could react, he had pulled what she took to be a ring case out of his jacket pocket. He handed the black box to her. So that was what she had seen in his eyes: his decision that it was the right moment to present a gift.

"What's this?" she asked, eyes widening in happy surprise.

"Open it and you'll see," he grinned.

Expecting to find a ring, Ronda opened the black box. Inside was a silver necklace, with a tiny metal replica of the Raw Women's Championship as the pendant. Dean had obviously had it custom made for her. The pendant was small, yet it was intricately detailed. It was fine craftsmanship indeed, and had to have cost a lot of money. More importantly as far as she was concerned, it was such a lovely choice of gift. Dean really could be thoughtful when he wanted to.

"I hope you like it?" he asked, waiting on her response.

"I love it," she gushed, looking up at him. "The detail on it is incredible, and what a lovely thought. I'm not sure they'll let me wear it on TV, but that doesn't matter. I can wear it the rest of the time."

"Exactly," Dean nodded. "And even when you eventually drop the title, it won't matter. No matter what happens from this point forward, you've been Raw Women's Champion. Like I said, I'm happy for you, and I'm proud of you. I wanted to get you something that reminded us both of tonight."

"You certainly did that," Ronda said adoringly. She removed the necklace from the box and placed it around her neck. The chain was the perfect length. It just needed to be clasped at the back of her neck. "Can you help me out with this?" she asked.

"Sure." Dean got up and walked around to stand behind her. He fumbled with the tiny clasp for a moment, making Ronda smile as he swore quietly under his breath. "There we go!" he announced when he finally got the job done.

"Thanks, baby," she smiled. Taking out her phone, she opened the front-facing camera so that she could see how the necklace looked on her. Smiling, she took a selfie.

"Beautiful," Dean commented as he sat back down. "I can't tell you how much I like seeing that smile."

"Maybe as much as I like being with a man who makes me smile? Seriously, Dean, you make me so happy."

"I do my best," he said with a smile of his own.

A contended silence descended on the table for a moment as they both worked on their drinks.

"You know what I was thinking earlier?" Dean asked.

"What, baby?"

"Why now? Why put the belt on you now. Obviously I'm not saying you don't deserve it now, I'm saying what's the creative reason for choosing this particular moment?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Ronda admitted. "Vince didn't go any further than what was happening tonight when I spoke to him. I don't know if I'm going to feud with Ruby or with Elena. Who knows, I might even feud with both of them. Whatever the deal is, I can't wait to get into it. I'm going to do everything I can to represent Raw's women in the best possible way as their champion."

"They're lucky to have you," Dean assured her.

Delighted with the compliment, Ronda leaned across the table for a kiss. Their lips met and she purred quietly in delight. Something stirred inside of her, and her thoughts turned to what might be to come after the meal, when they went back to their hotel room.

Before she could spend more than a few seconds fantasising, their server arrived with their appetisers. Ronda wasn't sure if she was pleased about the fact or not. Yes, she decided, on balance, it was okay. Good food and conversation with her man first, sex later.

* * *

"There we go," Dean said, happy with his handiwork.

"You're getting frustratingly good at that," Ronda muttered, looking at the wrist that he had just tied to the bed frame in their hotel room. Her other one was also secured in the same manner.

They had moved on from improvising with chords stolen from bathrobes – a good thing on this particular night especially, as none were provided by this hotel for their guests. Dean was now in the habit of packing a couple of silk scarfs in his case for when they felt in the mood to get kinky. This was the first time for a while, making them both even more fired up for it.

"Now what?" Ronda demanded.

"What do you mean, now what?" he replied, sitting up and looking at her with a puzzled expression that hid the fact that he knew exactly what she wanted.

"You know what I want," she told him.

"Not sure I do," he lied frankly.

"I want my gag," she said forcefully, squirming a little in delight at the prospect.

Making her ask for it had Dean already rock hard. In just a few months, he really had gotten his girl into bondage. To look at her, who would have thought Ronda Rousey liked to be submissive in bed? It was like a dream coming true over and over again. Not only had she asked him to tie her up, he had gotten her to ask for a gag too! That was definitely something new. With some amusement, he figured it would be rude of him to say no.

"Alright, if you want a gag you can have one," he conceded as he got off the bed. "Just don't say I don't do anything for you."

"I don't want to say anything at all," she told him, knowing full well the effect it would have on him when she talked that way. Being dominant over her drove him just as wild as it drove her to let him.

Dean was over by her open travel case, having no compunction at all about going through it. "Now, let's see what we have here," he muttered, for her benefit and his own. He lifted out a pair of black panties and glanced over at her. "Certainly these, now... something to keep them in there."

While he searched the case, Dean cursed the fact that he didn't have a bandana with him. But then he saw the perfect item. "Yeah, that's it," he announced, producing one of her black Hot Ronda shirts and holding it up so she could see what it was.

Ronda's eyes widened. Dean would usually stuff her mouth with something – often her panties, then tie something between her teeth to keep the packing in there. It was a very effective gagging method. But there was no way a rolled up shirt was going to fit between her teeth. "That's not going to fit in my mouth," she told him.

"I know," Dean said simply. He sat back down on the bed beside her, with the panties balled up in his hand. "Trust me, I'll make it work. Now open up."

Ronda's heart began to beat faster and she felt herself warming up as the panties were stuffed into her mouth. "Mmmm," she sighed in delight, waiting for whatever he was going to do with the shirt.

Dean rolled the shirt up a couple of times on it's width, doing his best to leave the Hot Ronda text visible. With that done, he pressed it over Ronda's mouth, wrapped it around her head, then tied a knot in it behind her, making the improvised gag as tight as he could. It wasn't as effective as having it in her mouth, forcing the panties further back, but it would do. It certainly looked amazing.

"Ymm thmt wmmks," Ronda mumbled.

"Looks beautiful, too," Dean reported. He had deliberately placed the shirt so that the Hot Ronda was over her mouth, facing him. "You need to see that image, babe," he decided.

As he got back off the bed, Ronda moaned into the gag again, pleased with its effectiveness. She was well muffled and there was no way she would be able to work the shirt free or get the panties out of her mouth. It wasn't uncomfortable on her, either. The only downside was that it covered the bottom half of her nostrils. She could breathe, but it might get difficult when they came to the sex.

Inspired by the selfie he had watched her take at the steakhouse, Dean had fetched his phone from over by the TV. He got back on the bed with the camera app opened. Unfortunately, it was the regular camera, not the front-facing one. Being the least tech-savvy person in the world, Dean was immediately at a loss. "How do you make the camera, you know, turn around?"

"Press the little camera icon," Ronda said. Of course, the instruction came out as muffled nonsense that meant nothing to him. With her wrists tied, she couldn't do it for him, either.

"Press what?" he asked, having at least made out that word.

"Camera," Ronda said, trying her absolute best to get the word out past a mouthful of panties and a thick rolled up shirt.

"Oh, this," Dean realised, touching the icon at the top. The front-facing camera appeared. "There we go." He held the phone out in front of them so that Ronda could see herself. "Hot Ronda for sure," he said with a grin.

Ronda had to giggle at what he had done with the positioning of the text. She felt sexy wearing the gag for him.

"Say mmmm," Dean instructed, taunting her a little as he took her picture, ensuring that he wasn't visible in it.

"Never mind taking pictures! Sex!" Ronda growled ineffectually, a stern expression appearing on her face.

Dean tossed his phone aside before leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose. In contrast to the delicate touch, he delivered a firm warning. "Don't look at me that way again, or you'll stay like that all night."

"Do your worst," Ronda tried to say.


	24. Chapter 24

Dean glanced across at Ronda from the driving seat of their hire car, a look of confusion and embarrassment on his face. They were on their way to Raw, but right now that was the least of their concerns. "I don't understand how that could happen," he said sheepishly.

"The next couple of days are going to be fun," Ronda said dryly, shaking her head. She was looking at a Twitter post of the image Dean had taken of her the previous week with her wrists tied to the bed in their hotel room and her Hot Ronda shirt used to gag her. It was now out in the public domain, and there was only one explanation. "Someone must have hacked you."

The explanation meant nothing to Dean – the world's biggest technophobe. "How can they hack my phone when I've got it on me?"

"They don't hack your phone," Ronda explained patiently. "Your phone syncs your pictures to the cloud, and they've hacked your account there."

"I didn't know I had a cloud," he said, shaking his head. "I'm really sorry, Ronda. Obviously I never meant for this to happen."

"It's not your fault. I knew you took the picture and I didn't get you to delete it. And anyway, I can hardly blame you for some scumbag hacking you."

Dean looked understandably relieved as he glanced at her again. "I can't believe you're not a lot angrier about this."

"What would be point of getting angry?" she said with a shrug. "It's not going to change the fact that the picture is out there. It's being retweeted and commented on, and I'm sure people are busy making memes out of it. The best way to deal with something like this is to be the opposite of angry. A lot of people only troll because it makes the target angry or intimidated or whatever. If I go along with it and join in with the jokes, it'll blow over a hell of a lot faster, and I might even make a good impression of myself. I'm glad it's just the two of us traveling together today, though. I wouldn't have been wanted to be with the others when I found out about it."

Dean looked over at her again, this time with a smile on his face. "I love you, you know that? Most people wouldn't be able to look at it with such a level head, including me."

"I've had plenty of experience being taunted and trolled online. This will be mild compared to some of what I've been put through. This the best way to tackle it. I'm going to share the picture myself and put a funny caption with it."

"What are you going to put?" he asked while she saved the picture and added it to a new tweet.

"How about this," she said, proceeding to read out her caption as she typed it. "I don't know why you guys are assuming this has anything to do with sex. It's just what happens when he's had enough of listening to me." She ended with an upside down smiley face emoji, then pressed send.

"That's funny," Dean grinned. "There is one other thing you're going to have to get through, though."

Ronda nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. "Yeah, the girls in the locker room. I'm sure there will be a joke or two coming my way, but they can go ahead. It'll all be in the right spirit."

Half an hour later, Ronda was about to find out what reaction she was going to get from her colleagues. She decided to bring up the subject herself as soon as she walked into the locker room. As she entered the room, she saw that almost everyone was already there. Perfect. She spoke loudly to make herself heard over the conversations that were going on, making sure to sound like she was enjoying herself rather than annoyed. "Alright, I'm sure you've all seen the picture. Let's have whatever jokes and wisecracks you've got ready for me."

"We wouldn't dream of it," Alexa said, looking slyly at Clementine, who was standing beside her.

"Right," Clem said with a cheeky grin. "Our lips are sealed."

There were some giggles around the room.

"That line doesn't work. Dean didn't use duct tape," Ronda pointed out with a relaxed smile.

"Ah, silly me," Clem said with a laugh.

"I think y'all are out of line," Ember Moon said, shaking her head. "Honestly, making a gag out of this situation."

Laughter filled the room, with Ronda joining in. Several other jokes came her way before the girls seemed to have worked it out of their systems. Satisfied that she had ridden it out, she went over and took the locker next to Zelina, which also happened to be next to Clementine.

"Great job, Ronda," Zelina said in a friendly tone. "Perfect way to play it off. I'm not sure if I could have done that."

"Thanks, Zel," Ronda smiled back. "I'm used to taking shit. This will blow over fairly soon. I'll share a few memes and stuff and join in with the jokes. Once everyone knows it's not making me mad, they'll move on to targeting some other poor idiot."

Ruby Riott approached them, looking a little cautious. "Hey, Ronda. Have you got a minute?"

"Sure, Ruby. What's up?" Ronda said as openly as possible. She hadn't worked with Ruby much at all so far, which maybe explained the former champion's demeanour.

"Well," Ruby said, drawing the word out. "We've got an in-ring segment to do tonight. I was just thinking that maybe, if you're okay with it, I might drop in a line that refers to the picture. It could be good for getting a laugh or a cheer out of the crowd."

"Go for it," Ronda said easily. "I really don't mind. If it's your character taking a dig at mine, great. After I just cashed-in and beat you, it makes sense that you would do that."

Ruby looked delighted that her idea had been received so positively. "Thanks, Ronda. You're pretty awesome, girl. I'm looking forward to working with you some more."

"Same," Ronda grinned.

With that, Ruby went back over to her locker. Clementine spoke to Ronda next, thankfully going for a change of subject. "All set for Wednesday?" was her question. She was talking about the upcoming visit to Pittsburgh for their charity presentation and a couple of days of fire training, all of which would be filmed for WWE Network. Then, the following week, they would be back there to film their attempts to put out fires, or whatever other challenges they were set, followed later in the week by a few trips out on a fire truck, attending real emergency call outs.

"I'm looking forward to it big time," Ronda assured her. "I love a good challenge, and this will definitely be one. How about you? Excited for it?"

"Actually, yeah," Clementine said brightly. "I mean, I am nervous, but I think it's going to be a lot of fun. Like you said, we'll make sure we get through it together. And if either of us fail…"

"We're both fucked," Ronda finished for her. "You're right, it is going to be a lot of fun. I really can't wait for the part where we get to try and put out a fire, just the two of us. It'll give us such a sense of achievement when we pull that off."

"When we pull it off," Clem confirmed, emphasising the first word.

"You're going to kill it, both of you," Alexa said. Looking proudly at Clem, she added, "You're so brave, honey."

Ronda's heart melted when Clementine gave her girl a little peck on the cheek. "Okay, you two kill me," she said, putting a hand over her heart. "Add me to the list of people who ship Blissentine."

Alexa beamed a truly dazzling smile. "Everyone ships Blissentine."

All three of them laughed, albeit with Clementine seeming a little embarrassed about her relationship being discussed.

"Hey, Ronda," Zelina said. "Let's talk about how we'll start the segment later."

"Sure, let's do it," Ronda said as she sat down next to her friend and on-screen manager.

* * *

_Monday Night Raw – September 24th 2018_

Raw's second hour began with the three person commentary team standing behind their table. They briefly talked about the events at the end of the previous week's episode, where Ronda Rousey had successfully cashed-in her Money in the Bank contract on Ruby Riott, to become the new Raw Women's Championship. Their description was aided by a brief video package which played as they talked.

"The question I have on my mind," Clementine said when the shot returned to the commentary table, "is now that The Arm Collector has the title, who on earth is going to be brave enough to challenge her for it?"

A piece of new theme music began to play. The words 'The Arm Collector' were displayed on the screen, drawing some boos from the fans. The exultation that had greeted Ronda's cash-in the week before was long gone, and the more customary heat had returned.

The new theme was totally different to Bad Reputation. Firstly, it had no lyrics at all. And secondly, it was a totally different style of music, being quite similar to the main part of the theme from the original Robocop movie. It was all part of WWE trying to move further away from the popular Rowdy Ronda Rousey character, and towards the hated Arm Collector. Ronda's first appearance as champion had been chosen as the perfect time to make the transition.

"Speaking of the new Raw Women's Champion, here she comes!" Cole had exclaimed as the music hit.

"And Zelina Vega is back alongside her," Coach added. "We saw Zelina return last week, bringing the Money in the Bank briefcase with her, which, as we just mentioned, was successfully cashed-in."

Ronda followed Zelina down the entrance ramp, her title belt around her waist and her usual nasty expression on her face. As requested by the higher ups, she did her best to give off the impression that she was Vega's trained killing (or arm collecting) machine. She was wearing black pants and her latest The Arm Collector shirt.

"In answer to your question, Clem," Cole said. "I know one person who will definitely be wanting to face The Arm Collector. Ruby Riott is contractually entitled to a rematch after losing the Raw Women's Championship."

"That's an excellent point," Clem admitted. "Let's see if Zelina will address it."

Manager and client were now in the ring, and Vega had a microphone. Ronda stood in the centre of the ring, commanding it. Her music faded out, allowing Zelina to begin the promo.

"Bow down to Ronda Rousey!" she exclaimed triumphantly, drawing the first volley of boos. She had purposely left out the word rowdy. "Bow down to The Arm Collector! Bow down to the new Raw Women's Champion!"

Ronda had removed the belt from around her waist, and held it up during Zelina's final theatrical sentence. Meanwhile, her facial expression barely changed. Meanwhile, Zelina pointed up at the belt in delight.

"That's right," Vega continued once the little celebration was over. "Just like I promised you all from day one, I waited for the right moment, the perfect moment to cash in the Money in the Bank contract, and when that moment came, The Arm Collector took Ruby Riott's arm, and the Raw Women's Championship along with it."

"Like anyone else, as soon as she was locked in the armbar, Ruby had to tap out or get her arm snapped," Clementine said.

"She chose to live to fight another day, even at the expense of her title," Cole agreed.

For the next couple of minutes, Zelina continued to brag about how she had masterminded the birth and rise of The Arm Collector, really rubbing it in the faces of the fans and the viewers at home.

"You see, the fact of the matter is that Ronda Rousey does what I say, when I say, and how I say. And that makes me the second most dangerous woman in all of WWE, behind only Ronda herself. With that being said, Elena D'Agostino, don't think I've forgotten about you kicking me in the face!" she snarled.

The crowd cheered loudly at the mention of the Italian's name. They were more than ready for another Rousey – D'Agostino showdown. There was definitely unfinished business between them after the shocking way Ronda had been quickly and comprehensively knocked out during their first match. They were also cheering the memory of Vega nearly getting her head kicked clean off her shoulders. A "Yes!" chant started to break out, but it was interrupted by Ruby Riott's music.

"Woah! This isn't Elena, this is Ruby Riott!" Cole cried as the former champion received a standing ovation. Her face turn had taken full effect.

"Guys, sometimes in life you can pinpoint the exact moment someone makes a very serious mistake that they come to deeply regret," Clementine said. "I've got the feeling this is going to be one of those moments for Ruby Riott. Coming out here and getting the face of Ronda Rousey is not a smart idea."

Ruby showed no sign of fear as she marched to the ring. She looked determined to face Ronda down and take back her title. She entered the ring, walked calmly past Ronda and Zelina, and fetched a microphone for herself as her music faded.

"Ronda, I was standing there in the back, listening to your manager going on and on, and I had a question on my mind. Can't you find something to gag her with? You like that kind of thing, right?"

Knowing exactly what she was referring to, the fans went wild while Ronda and Zelina both gave Ruby death glares.

"I'm not sure there's anything I can say to that," Clementine said.

Coach laughed. "I certainly support the idea of shutting Vega's mouth."

"You can stand here and talk about Ronda winning the title all you want," Ruby went on. "I'm not going to come out and cry about it. The whole point of the Money in the Bank is to cash-in when someone is ripe for the taking, and that's exactly what you guys did last week. More power to you. But be under no illusion, Ronda, Zelina, this is not over! I'm contractually entitled to a rematch, and I'm out here to demand that rematch right here tonight!"

"Alright! Let's do it!" Coach said. "Riott – Rousey tonight for the title!"

"I wouldn't count on it," Clementine said, referencing the fact that Zelina was already dismissively wagging her finger at Ruby and shaking her head.

"No, no, no," Zelina said. "You might be entitled to a rematch, there's nothing I can do about that, but you're not getting it tonight. Ronda Rousey has thirty days to defend her championship, which means she certainly won't be doing it in a dump like this, in front of these cretins. You can wait…"

The fans had been booing Zelina for her insults, but they erupted into cheers again when the intro to Elena D'Agostino's music played.

"Now Elena is coming out here!" Cole called as she started going through her entrance routine, to the delight of the live audience.

"Zelina Vega was just about to issue a challenge to Elena when Ruby Riott came out," Coach said. "Things might be about to get really interesting here."

Elena made her way to the ring, vaulting over the top rope to complete her entrance as was her custom. She walked around the three women in the ring and went to fetch a microphone, being glared at by Ronda and Zelina the whole time.

"I'm sorry to crash your party, Ruby," she began in her thick Italian accent. "But I've learned a couple of things. First, apparently Zelina can still speak after I broke her jaw with my Virtuosa Kick. And second, apparently Ronda wants me to knock her out again. So, if anyone is going to be challenging for the Raw Women's Championship, it's going to be the one person on Raw who has actually beaten Ronda Rousey, and that's me, La Virtuosa, Elena D'Agostino!"

"It's hard to argue with that logic, quite frankly," Clementine said. "If anyone has a claim to face Rousey, it has to be Elena."

Zelina looked livid at the interruption and the demands that were being made. "Who do the two of you think you are?" she snapped. "You don't get to come out here and make demands about facing my client. Ronda will face Ruby Riott within thirty days because she is contractually obligated to do so. But Elena? You can forget it. The fact you got a lucky win over Ronda means absolutely nothing."

Kurt Angle's music hit as soon as she finished speaking, drawing yet another loud cheer. Kurt spoke over the top of his music and the warm reaction from the crowd as he walked out onto the stage. "Actually, Zelina, Elena's win over Ronda does mean something. It means something very significant, in fact. What it means is that I'm going to give Elena a shot at the Raw Women's Championship."

While the fans cheered, Ruby Riott was shown looking angered by that announcement.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Kurt said next. "You're going to get your shot, too. Because at our next pay-per-view event, which is the Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia, we will see a triple threat match for the Raw Women's Championship. Competing in that match will be Ronda Rousey, Elena D'Agostino and Ruby Riott!"

"Oh my, what a match that is going to be!" Cole exclaimed over yet another cheer and Angle's music, which began to play again. He announcement had been short but sweet. The audience definitely approved of the match he had made.

"That's not fair," Clementine objected. "Ronda only just won the title, now in her first defence she could lose it without being involved in the decision!"

"Then she can blame her manager for digging a hole by shouting her mouth off about getting revenge against Elena," Coach said.

The segment came to an end with the commentary team hyping up the triple threat match some more, while Ronda and Zelina were faced down by the two women who had their sights set on the Raw Women's Championship.


	25. Chapter 25

The plane carrying Ronda and Clementine to Pittsburgh for their visit to one of the city's biggest fire stations had just taken off. They were settled into their seats next to each other for the two hour flight. The WWE Network film crew who would be documenting their ceremonial presentation of the half a million dollars that was being donated to a firefighter charity would be meeting them at the fire station. After the presentation, Ronda and Clem would be moving on to start their fire training as a part of their documentary.

"I expected to be feeling kind of nervous by now," Clementine said. "But actually, I'm looking forward to it. Between you and Lexi, you've convinced me that I'm going to do fine with this fire training. At least I'm going with someone who's confident about it. That's a big help."

"Like I've said before, we'll be fine," Ronda promised. "And you're right, I am confident. I figure that now I've been face to face with a shark for a TV show, there's not much reason to get nervous about anything else that gets thrown at me."

"I don't know how you were able to do that," Clementine said with a little shake of her head. "I watched the show and I was blown away by the size of the sharks, and the courage you showed to be in the water with them. You have no fear, girl. It must have been breath-taking to see them up close, though."

Ronda nodded. "It was. I couldn't even put it into words. You should give it a go, Clem. Hey, we could pitch it to Hunter as an idea for a follow up show to this firefighter thing, if it all goes to plan."

"Wait a minute," Clem said with a surprised smile. "You're suggesting I get in the water with sharks? Dude, I can't even dive. I've never tried anything like that."

"Neither had I before I went on the Shark Week show," Ronda said, making it sound like it wasn't a problem at all. "They spent time teaching me to dive first. We started in a pool at my hotel. Honestly, it was great fun." Ronda's eyes lit up as she finished her thought. "If we did this, I could come with you. We could have a whole series of Ronda and Clem shows where we do thrilling shit like this."

"I have to admit, that does sound awesome," Clem said, smiling broadly. "Ronda and Clementine: Bungee jumping off the Empire State Building, or something like that. Let's see how long it takes us to get ourselves killed."

Ronda laughed. "I don't know about jumping off buildings, but I'm serious about the shark diving. It's one of the best and most rewarding experiences I've had in my life. I'm not trying to pressure you into it, but please consider it. Maybe talk it over with Lexi?"

"It would be a big challenge," Clem said thoughtfully, to herself as much as to Ronda. "But the way things are going, I'm going to have to get used to challenges."

"Oh, intrigue!" Ronda said, raising her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

Clementine seemed surprised for a second at what she had let slip out, then sighed. She spent a moment looking out of the window before answering the question. "There goes that secret," she muttered. "I've never been good at keeping my mouth shut."

"Probably a good thing for a commentator," Ronda chuckled.

Turning back to face her, Clem managed a smile. "Good point. But I wasn't supposed to let on about this yet, so keep it to yourself. Hunter talked me into starting training so that I can wrestle at some point in the future."

"Oh my God!" Ronda exclaimed in delight. "Clem! You're going to wrestle? That's beyond awesome! But I thought you were against the idea of getting in the ring? I remember how quick you were to dismiss it as an idea when Hunter spoke to us about this firefighter stuff."

"He's been trying to sell me on it for a while," Clem revealed. "He kept telling me that while there's no doubt I'm a fantastic commentator, he can see a bigger future for me in WWE than that. He thinks my mic work would be the best in the business, that I have a unique look that would be perfect for a character, and that with some training I have a genuine shot at becoming a wrestler."

"I can't argue with any of that," Ronda smiled. "You said Hunter has talked you into it. Have you started training yet?"

"No. I'm down in Florida the week after next. Understandably, he wanted us to finish up the filming we're about to start first. When I say Hunter talked me into it, that's not actually true. It was Lexi who persuaded me to accept. I think you and I talked once before about wrestling and I said I didn't have the drive to train hard enough to be a wrestler."

"I remember," Ronda nodded.

"Well, Lexi convinced me that once I got into the regime of training it would become easier than I imagine, and she promised we'll always do our workouts together and she'll help me if I start struggling as well."

"I love the way you guys are with each other," Ronda said. "Blissentine for life."

Clementine laughed at that. "Thanks, Ronda. That means so much to me. We're very happy together, that's all I can say."

A mischievous grin appeared on Ronda's face. "Imagine if they created tag title belts? I can see Blissentine as champions."

"Now that really is something to think about," Clem said, eyes widened slightly. "I'm sure it'll never happen, but there's nothing wrong with dreaming, right?"

"Absolutely right," Ronda said.

As the plane cruised above the clouds on its way to Pennsylvania, the conversation turned to events in the more immediate future.

* * *

For the purposes of the WWE Network, Ronda and Clementine's arrival at the fire station in Pittsburgh had been delayed for a few minutes. The film crew had been in contact with their driver and asked him to wait until they were set up and ready to start shooting.

Now, the black saloon car was pulling up in front of the station, with several different cameras focused on it. In addition to the film crew, two men were waiting for the ladies. One was an absolute unit of a man, who had to be six and half feet tall. He was wearing the shirt, pants and boots of a firefighter's uniform. Ronda quickly figured out that he had to be the Battalion Chief they had been told they would be meeting. The other man was wearing a T-shirt with the logo of the Firefighters Foundation – the charity that was receiving the half a million dollar donation. He was there to accept the large presentation cheque that WWE had produced for the occasion. The film crew had brought that with them.

Clementine was first out of the car, as ever wearing a cap. She respectfully removed it for the introductions. "Hi, I'm Clementine," she said with a pleasant smile, offering her hand to the chief.

"Nice to meet you, Clementine," he said, giving her a firm handshake. "I'm Chief Piekarski. You'll be filming and training with my department."

"Can't wait to get started," Clem said. With that, she moved on to meet the representative from the charity, whose name was Neil. Meanwhile, Ronda introduced herself to Piekarski.

Once the introductions had been completed, one of the film crew brought the presentation cheque over. All four people were to be filmed and photographed holding it – Ronda and Clementine at one end and the two men at the other.

"Thank you again for this," Neil said to Ronda. "We're eternally grateful to WWE and to everyone on Team Raw who won this donation for us. You guys got it over the line. You played incredibly."

"That was all this one," Ronda said, putting an arm around Clem's shoulders. "Those last three holes, I don't think anyone could have lived with the shots she was pulling out."

"I'm just glad we won as a team," Clem said humbly. "And I'm really pleased that the money will go to help injured firefighters and their families. I had never thought about it until I heard which charity had been selected, but it's such a good cause."

"Amen to that," Ronda said.

The presentation was made, with the moment captured on photograph and video. It would be well received by WWE's fans, who had been asking to see more of the Ronda and Clementine team. That was the reason Hunter had come up with the idea of the documentary involving the fire training and the trips on a fire truck during real emergency call outs.

With the presentation complete, it was time for everyone to say goodbye to Neil.

"Okay then, who's ready to start training?" Chief Piekarski asked, clapping his hands together to signify getting down to business.

"Both of us," Ronda said excitedly, with Clem simultaneously confirming that she was up for it.

"Then follow me," Piekarski said, turning to lead them into the station, with the cameramen in turn following the ladies, even though more cameras were set up inside. "The timing of your visit is perfect. We've got a new recruit who only joined us yesterday. She's still a week or so away from being assigned to active duty, but she'll be helping me take you through this first stage of your training."

"Oh, awesome," Ronda said. "I was hoping there would at least be one woman on the crew."

As she was speaking, they rounded the back of one of the four fire engines that were parked in the station. In front of them was a large row of lockers beside a staircase that led to the upstairs areas of the station. In front of the lockers, a couple of tables had been pushed together to form a longer table. On it were two complete sets of firefighter kit.

"All set, Purrazzo?" the chief asked the young, attractive, dark haired trainee firefighter who was standing beside the table.

"Yes, sir. Two complete sets of turnout gear, as requested."

"Excellent," Piekarski said. He gestured to the two women beside him to introduce them. "This is Ronda, and this is Clementine."

"Hi, I'm Deonna. Pleased to meet you," the trainee said with a warm smile.

Ronda and Clem returned greetings.

The chief had moved over to the table. He picked up a shirt and a pair of pants identical to those worn by himself and Deonna, and handed them to Clem. Another set went to Ronda. "First things first," he said. "Deonna's going to take you upstairs, where you can change into those. Then you're going to come back down and we'll get you started on your first little test: putting on a full set of gear."

"Can't wait," Clementine said, showing no sign of nerves at all so far.

"This way," Deonna said pleasantly on her way to the stairs.

A few minutes later, all three women were back downstairs, now in matching outfits. The shirts had surnames on the right side of the chest, apart from Clem's, which said Clementine because of the fact that her surname was not used in WWE. Ronda and Clem both had their hair down, and for once Clem wasn't wearing a cap.

"You're starting to look like firefighters already," the chief pronounced with satisfaction. He was standing by Clementine's side of the table, with Deonna on Ronda's side. "We're now going to help you get into your full turnout gear for the first time. Then, this afternoon we'll have you handling some of the basic equipment."

"Will we get to put out a fire at any point?" Ronda was dying to know.

To her delight, Piekarski nodded. "That's what we're working up to. This time next week, you'll be in a smoke-filled building putting out a fire."

Ronda and Clementine looking at each other with smiles containing both excitement and a hint of trepidation.

"But first things first," the chief said. "Let's start with your boots." He picked up Ronda's pair and plonked them on the edge of the table in front of her. Deonna did the same for Clementine.

"How much does all of this weigh when you've got it all on?" Clem asked as she set about putting her boots on.

"Between forty five and seventy five pounds, depending on the exact equipment you're carrying."

Ronda found herself thinking that was a serious amount of weight to have on you when you were working in the appalling conditions that firefighters sometimes had to contend with.

Over the next few minutes, they were issued with a fireproof jacket, hood, helmet, flashlight, radio and gloves. They were shown how to attach the lights and radios to their jackets.

"How do I look?" Clem asked Ronda with a little smile.

"Badass," came the reply. "How about me?"

"Like a real firefighter," Clem said.

"But we're not done yet," Piekarski pointed out. An air tank and breathing apparatus was still standing on each table. "Now, we need to show you how to put on the breathing apparatus, and how it works."

The explanation began with how to correctly and safely get the air tanks onto their backs. It was pretty familiar to Ronda, who had used similar equipment for diving on her Shark Week show.

"Everything clear?" the chief asked when he had finished his little walk through, and showed then how to check how much air was remaining in their tank.

"Yes," Clem said seriously, now looking a little nervous for the first time.

Ronda wanted to reach out and give her hand a reassuring squeeze, but she feared embarrassing her friend. Instead, she nodded her own confirmation to Piekarski.

"Alright, helmets off for a moment, ladies. It's now time to get your masks on. First, we make sure the air is flowing to them correctly." He and Deonna showed them how to open a valve on the side of the mask to check that. They were both rewarded with a loud hiss.

"You're good," Purrazzo smiled.

"Do you want to talk them through putting the masks on?" the chief offered her.

"I would love to, sir." She picked up a spare mask to put on herself, to demonstrate how to do it correctly. Before beginning, she had a question. "Are either of you claustrophobic? Because if you are, you might find this a little uncomfortable to begin with."

"I've worn something similar for diving," Ronda explained.

"I'll be okay," Clementine said, sounding not entirely convinced.

With a satisfied nod, Purrazzo showed them how to put their masks on and secure them with an airtight seal using several straps.

"Helmets back on, and you're done," the chief pronounced.

Ronda put her helmet on and turned to face Clementine, who had just done the same. She could tell by Clem's eyes that there was a smile behind her mask. "Okay, Clem?" she asked, her voice sounding muffled and odd.

"Yeah!" came the ecstatic reply.

The two women walked towards each other and shared an awkward hug. The first test had been a fairly simple one, but they had passed it.


	26. Chapter 26

Ronda took a few seconds to remind herself of everything she had been taught during the making of the documentary, which had been given the title Ronda and Clementine: Playing with Fire.

In front of her was a single storey building that was used for practice and training by the fire crews. Smoke was currently billowing out of the windows. Inside, a fire had been started for her and Clem to go in and put out. Special cameras had been installed inside, so that viewers could see them in action through the smoke. They were also fixed up with microphones so that their communication with each other would be picked up for the show.

Keep calm and breathe properly to conserve air, Ronda told herself. Already, before entering the building, her heart was pounding and adrenaline was coursing through her veins. She felt hot under all of the protective gear and breathing apparatus. Soon, she would start sweating. The exertion of carrying the heavy fire hose wouldn't help. At least Clem was right behind her, helping to take weight.

"Ready, Clem?" she called, speaking extra loud to be heard with her mask on.

"Yes!" came the muffled reply from behind.

Ronda had to smile. During the course of the training, Clem had gained confidence in herself and her nerves had disappeared. It just went to show that once she believed in herself, she could do anything. If she reached that point with her wrestling training, Ronda thought there was so much potential in her. Hunter and Alexa were definitely right about that.

But right now, there was a fire to put out. Ronda started moving slowly towards the closed door in front of them. The first job was to get the door open. Leaving Clem to hold the hose, Ronda brandished a tool that looked like a hammer at one end and a crowbar at the other. She stuck it in the gap between the door and the frame, and with a heavy strain managed to prise the door open.

"We're in!" she called to Clem as a blast of heat and a billow of smoke enveloped her. This was it.

Ronda took the end of the hose once more and moved slowly into the building. It took her aback how little she could see. There was hardly any visibility at all.

The objective now was to move slowly, cautiously through the building and find the fire. It was also Ronda's job to report what she could see to Clem, since her view would be obscured by Ronda's back.

The building was arranged like a house, albeit with no furniture in any of the rooms. As Ronda's eyes began to adjust a little to the conditions, it appeared that they were in some kind of entrance hallway. There was a room up ahead, and a room off to the right. The smoke seemed thicker to the right, telling her that was the way to towards the fire.

"Off to the right!" she called to Clem.

They made their way into what would probably have been a living room if they were in a real house. The smoke was getting so thick it was almost impossible for Ronda to see. But she could feel that they were heading the right way. It was getting hotter almost by the footstep.

Across the other side of the living room was a doorway into what was likely supposed to represent a kitchen. As they approached the doorway, Ronda began to see brightness through the smoke. They had found the fire.

"Fire right ahead of us!" Ronda shouted. "Water coming on now!" She braced herself for the recoil when the water came on, knowing that Clem would be doing the same, and opened the valve. She was struck by how fearsomely hot the room was. And this was just a small fire. She wondered what it must be like in some real emergencies.

Water exploded out of the end of the hose. Ronda recoiled, then steadied herself to direct the jet of water at the flames that had been started by one of Chief Piekarski's men. There were people outside, ready to rush in if the women got into difficulty. But that wasn't going to be necessary.

"Everything okay?" Clem yelled, with the sound of the water further drowning out her voice.

Ronda remembered then that she was supposed to crouch for better stability while using the hose. She rectified the error, which had the additional benefit of letting Clem see the fire, which was already receding in the face of the jet of water.

"It's working!" Clementine called, her delight perfectly clear.

It took a few minutes and several careful advances before the fire was successfully extinguished. By then, Ronda was drenched in sweat and breathing quite heavily. But the job had been done. The smoke and steam were quickly clearing from the room through the holes where windows would have been. Ronda shut off the water and called to Clem. "Radio through that the fire is out."

Clementine reached over and activated her radio, practically shouting into it to make sure she was heard. "This is Clementine! Fire on B side of the building is out! Code four! Over!" Code four meant that the scene was secure.

Chief Piekarski's voice came back over the radio. "Roger that, Clementine. There is an exit on the B side. Come on out when ready. Don't take off any of your equipment until you're clear of the building. Over."

"Roger that, Chief! Out!" Clem said before calling to Ronda. "We have to exit this side of the building, leaving our equipment on until we're outside."

Ronda had shut off the water and put the end of the hose down on the floor. She pointed towards the far end of the room, where there was a doorway to the outside. Now that the smoke was clearing, she could see chief Piekarski, firefighter Purrazzo and several members of the film crew out there, waiting for their triumphant emergence from the building.

Leading the way, Ronda headed for the doorway and led Clem outside into the bright, fresh air. Piekarski and Purrazzo came walking towards them. The female firefighter was applauding, while the chief looked pleased.

"You can take your masks off now," Piekarski told them when he reached them.

Ronda was delighted to do just that. She took her helmet off and handed it to the chief, which allowed her to pull her mask up and off her head. She gratefully breathed in the fresh air, turning quickly to face Clem.

Clementine already had her helmet, mask and hood off. Her hair and face were soaked in sweat, but she was beaming like a Cheshire cat. "We did it," she said breathlessly.

"Yeah!" Ronda exclaimed in delight.

They were helped to get their air tanks off their backs. With that done, they were free to go and share a heartfelt embrace to celebrate their success. Only now that it was all over and the adrenaline was leaving her system did it hit Ronda just what a dangerous situation she and Clem had been in. Not only had they been in that situation, they had managed it, fought it and beaten it. It was an incredible achievement.

"We really did it," Clem said quietly as they held each other tightly for a moment.

"We did. We did it as a team," Ronda said proudly. "You've got a friend for life, Clem. I mean that."

"Friends for life," Clem said emotionally, patting Ronda on the back before they separated. They had both forgotten that they were wearing microphones, and that their supposedly private exchange would be broadcast on the documentary for all of the viewers on WWE Network.

* * *

After the dramatic and exciting conclusion of their own activities for the documentary, what remained for Clementine and Ronda to do was go out on some real call outs on one of the fire engines. The only drawback had been that there had been no call outs all afternoon. Not a single one.

To fill the dead time, the firefighters were watching TV or playing games in the upstairs rooms at the fire station. The film crew had taken an interest in firefighter Purrazzo, who was on her first shift of active duty. They had suggested that Ronda and Clem ask Deonna some questions that might or might not make the finished show.

To that end, the three women had sat down at a table. It had turned out that Clementine and Deonna both knew how to play chess, so they had gotten a game going while the trio talked. As afternoon had turned to evening, it had become apparent that while Purrazzo was the better firefighter, she wasn't the better chess player. Clem was taking her apart.

Suddenly, the alarm went off to signify an emergency call out. It made Ronda jump almost out of her skin. "Fuck me!" she exclaimed as everyone started jumping to their feet.

Meals and games were instantly abandoned as everyone rushed downstairs to where the fire engines were parked. It all seemed liked chaos to Ronda, with people running around and shouting. But they knew what they were doing, of course.

Ronda and Clementine focused on what they had been told to do when a callout came, and got into the engine the chief had told them to ride in. They were joined by a cameraman, and the firefighters who were the crew of this engine. Purrazzo was one of them. She ended up sitting opposite Clem.

"All four engines!" Clem exclaimed. She was sitting next to the door, looking out of the window. It didn't take a genius to figure out that all four engines being called out at the same time meant there was a serious problem somewhere. "What's the emergency?" she asked Purrazzo as the engine roared out of the station, sirens wailing. Amid all the shouting, neither Ronda or Clem had heard what the callout was for.

"A fire in an apartment at Madison Tower. There are multiple companies already on site, but they've not been able to get it contained."

The name Madison Tower meant nothing to Ronda, but a fire in an apartment in a tower sounded like it might be difficult to deal with. "What's Madison Tower like?" she asked.

"It's one of the most recently built residential towers in the city," Purrazzo said. "It must be twenty stories high at least."

"It's twenty five," one of the male firefighters put in. "So if the fire is near the top, we've got a big job on our hands. We'll see in just a few minutes."

Ronda glanced at Clem and saw the same nervousness she was feeling herself. They were both wondering what they were heading into.

A couple of minutes later, a voice came from the direction of the front seats of the engine as it rounded a corner. "Fuck me!" a man exclaimed. "What the hell has happened there?"

Purrazzo and Clem immediately looked out of the window on the side of the engine. Ronda leaned over to join them. What she saw in the distance made her mouth fall open in horror and her breath catch in her throat. From about halfway up, it seemed like the whole of Madison Tower was going up in flames like a Roman candle. The fire lit it up like a beacon in the night sky.

"God almighty," Clem breathed.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do with that?" Purrazzo asked. The question was somewhat rhetorical.


	27. Chapter 27

When the fire engine pulled up in front of Madison Tower, it became perfectly clear to Ronda that the station she and Clem had been visiting had not been the first to be alerted of the unfolding disaster. There were firefighters and engines everywhere, bathing the scene in flashing lights, as if it wasn't already well lit enough by the inferno above them.

Moving as quickly as they could, Ronda and Clementine bailed out of the vehicle to get out of the way of the people who had lives to try and save. The WWE Network cameraman followed them out of the engine. There was nothing he could do other than the job he had been sent there for. The first thing Ronda noticed once she emerged from the fire engine were the screams. People trapped in the tower were yelling for help and screaming in terror.

"Christ almighty," Clem said quietly, looking upwards, aghast at the sight.

"How has the fire spread so fast?" Ronda asked, not that she expected Clem to know the answer any more than she did. The callout had mentioned a fire in an apartment, but looking up, she saw that the entire tower seemed to be aflame from just below the halfway point upwards. There had to be a lot of people trapped, and those people had to be dying – either burning to death or from smoke inhalation. It was a truly gruesome and horrendous scene.

Ronda's attention turned to Deonna Purrazzo, who was standing nearby with the rest of the crew from their engine, taking orders on what they were supposed to do, while getting her gear sorted out. "What a first shift for her," she commented, unable to imagine being in that young woman's shoes.

"I dread to think," Clem replied, still looking upwards. She pointed at a part of the tower near to the top floor, where the fire was still spreading. "Ronda, look. It's spreading through that cladding stuff they've got on the outside of the building. How can that happen?"

"It's obviously not supposed to," Ronda breathed. "How are these guys supposed to try and put this out? How are they supposed to rescue those people?"

Clementine looked at her, eyes wide. "I don't think they can."

Whether she was right or not, an attempt was going to be made to deal with the fire and to save people who were trapped by it. The crew of their engine were on their way to the tower's front entrance to join the dozens of others who already had to be inside.

"We need to do something to help," Ronda said. As she spoke, she noticed Chief Piekarski nearby, issuing orders to a crew from one of his station's other fire engines. "Let's go ask the chief how we can help."

"Good idea," Clem said.

The two women walked over to the chief, waiting out of the way until he had finished addressing the firefighters, who moved off towards the entrance to the tower.

"Chief," Ronda called. "How can Clem and I help?"

"By staying out of the way," came the stern response. But then the chief seemed to realise that they had the best of intentions and his expression softened a little. "Ladies, I need you to stay well away from the building, okay? It's too dangerous for you to be around there. But if you want to help, you can do some fetching and carrying for me. I'll call you if I need you. There will be some shocked and injured people coming out of the building, too, so you might sit with them until a paramedic gets to them. Just do what you can to comfort people, alright?"

"Whatever we can do," Clem promised.

"Start by unloading all of the air tanks from these four engines and lining them up in front of this one," Piekarski said, pointing to emphasise his instructions. "We're going to need them all."

"You got it," Ronda said, immediately leading Clem to the closest engine to begin the task. She opened up the storage compartment and pulled out the first air tank, holding out to the side for Clem to take without looking at her. Clem didn't take it.

"Come on, Clem!" Ronda snapped, turning to see what the problem was. She found her friend standing there looking up at the tower.

"Ronda," Clementine gasped, her voice trembling.

Ronda followed Clem's line of sight and saw a man standing on a window ledge about fifteen floors up, surrounded by fire. Rather than burn to death, he had chosen another way out. "Oh shit," Ronda said, looking away just too late to avoid seeing the man hurl himself into the air, with only certain death awaiting him. A couple of seconds later, there was a hideous thump that Ronda knew she would never forget hearing as long as she lived.

"We've got jumpers!" a male voice called out.

The next thing Ronda heard was Clem throwing up. Apparently she hadn't been able to force herself to look away.

A paramedic happened to be rushing past them at that moment. He tossed a bottle of water to Ronda and said, "Give that to her."

"Here you go, Clem," Ronda said, sounding as dazed as she felt. Fifteen minutes earlier, they had been sitting at the fire station chatting and playing chess. Now they were confronted with the most unspeakable horrors. It was too much to adjust to.

When Clem gratefully took the water and used it to wash her mouth out, Ronda saw tears in her eyes. After spitting the water out, Clem said, "Ronda, there are people dying in there."

It was stating the obvious, but it was part of Clementine trying to process what they were witnessing.

"I know," Ronda said sombrely. "We have to try and help the ones who aren't dying. Let's just do what little we can. Maybe we'll help these guys to save some lives."

As she was speaking a helicopter cruised overhead, making them look up again. Ronda recognised the logo of one of the country's biggest news broadcasters on its tail.

"At least people get their breaking news," Clem said icily.

For the next hour, Ronda and Clementine busied themselves with whatever menial tasks they could safely do to help out. At least being busy helped somewhat to keep their attention off the horrifying scenes around them. It dawned on Ronda at one point that the screams had stopped. In the first split second of the realisation, she thought that was a positive sign. By then logic caught up with her and she realised that it was the exact opposite. There was no screaming because there were no people left to scream. Those who hadn't jumped had died of smoke inhalation.

At least the fire crews had managed to get some survivors out, she thought, looking over towards the throng of ambulances that were parked to the right of the fire engines. Her guess was maybe fifty residents had been brought out of the tower in varying levels of distress, in addition to those lucky enough to have lived on the lower floors that were largely unaffected by the blaze.

"Ronda," Clementine said urgently. "Those guys are from our engine."

Turning around, Ronda saw four male firefighters that she recognised. They had just removed their breathing apparatus after exiting the tower. After an hour, their air would have been running low.

There was an area near to the fire engines assigned for firefighters to sit and rest and have a drink after they had done a stint inside the tower. The familiar faces headed over there. Ronda saw more firefighters emerge from the tower. One of them removed their mask, and she saw that it was Deonna Purrazzo. She had led an elderly woman out of the building, and was now handing her over to a couple of paramedics. Over the past week, Ronda and Clem had formed something of a friendship with the newly-qualified female firefighter.

"There's Deonna," Ronda said, started to walk quickly in that direction.

Clem fell in step beside her, carrying a large bottle of water. "She's so brave, getting involved in something like this on her first shift. Not that she had a choice in it, I guess."

"Deonna, are you okay?" Ronda asked as they approached her.

Purrazzo was soaked in sweat and she looked exhausted. No, Ronda realised, not exhausted, shocked was the right word.

"Hi, guys," Deonna said as she removed her fire hood and ran a hand through her hair. "It's awful in there. So many people dead. This is a huge, huge disaster. Someone has a fucking lot to answer for. There's no way a fire should spread at all in modern tower like this. Each apartment should be able to contain a fire inside itself. Instead, it spread all the way up through the cladding in a matter of minutes. There was nothing we could have done to stop it."

The final words made Purrazzo's voice crack. Ronda shuddered to think what she must have seen up there on the fire-effected floors of the tower. The people were so brave, so courageous.

"You're very brave," Clem said as she offered Deonna the bottle of water. "Here, take this."

"Thanks," Deonna said, taking the water and downing most of it in one grateful hit. Just as she was finishing it, Chief Piekarski walked over to them.

"Ronda, Clementine," he said, all business. "I've spoken to your film crew and told them to take you back to your hotel. This scene is too dangerous for you, and we're going to be bringing some bodies out. It's not something you want to be seeing, and it's not something your cameras ought to be filming. Thank you for what you've done, but I need you to leave now."

Ronda totally understood. This wasn't the time or place to be making a documentary. She got the feeling they shouldn't really have been there to start with. If the chief wanted them gone, he was going to get no argument. "You've got it," she told him politely. "You've got enough to do without worrying about what we're doing."

The chief nodded, then pointed past the fire engines. "There's a van waiting for you over there. Don't come to the station tomorrow, we'll probably still be here."

"Okay," Clementine said. "Uh, good luck, and God bless."

With that, the two women went to find their ride back to the hotel. Ronda felt numbed by everything they had seen and heard, and wondered if this was what being in shock felt like. Clementine seemed to be in the same state. Neither of them said anything as they walked.

The silence continued until they were settled beside each other on the van's long front seat. The driver had soon given up on trying to make small talk with them. He understandably seemed shaken by the disaster, too.

Clementine took her phone out of her pocket and mumbled, "Missed calls from Lexi. I'd better call her."

"Shit. I'd better call Dean," Ronda said, immediately going for her own phone. She too found that she had missed calls, five of them. There was also a text from him, asking her if she was okay.

While Clem called Alexa, Ronda dialled Dean's number. It only rang twice before he answered.

"Ronda, Jesus. Are you okay?" Dean exclaimed. "That fire is all over the news. I saw you on TV just now. They had shots of you and Clem."

Just hearing her man's voice seemed to bring all of the emotions that Ronda's brain had been suppressing to the fore. She burst into tears. Next to her, Clem was also crying as she tried to talk to her girlfriend.

"I'm okay," Ronda managed to say. "But Dean, there must be so many people dead. We could hear them screaming. We saw some people jumping out of the windows too. Oh God."

"Shit, babe, please don't cry," Dean said gently. There wasn't much else he could say. He spent a few minutes trying to calm her down, with some limited amount of success.

"I wish you were here right now. I need you," Ronda said eventually, wiping tears from her eyes.

"If you want me there, I'll come," he promised without hesitation. "I can't get there tonight now, but I'll be on the first plane in the morning."

Ronda had never loved him more than she did in that moment. He was willing to fly from one side of the country to the other just to be with her when she needed him. "Yes, please come," she said appreciatively.

"I'll be there," he assured her.

They chatted for a few more minutes, until Ronda saw that they were approaching their hotel and said that she had to go.

"Okay, darlin'," Dean said. "My phone will be on all night, so if you need me, just call, okay?"

"Okay, baby, thank you. I love you," Ronda said.

"Take care of yourself, and take care of Clem."

"Will do," Ronda confirmed. They said their goodbyes and the call was ended.

Clementine had just finished her call with Alexa. "Lexi is flying out here first thing in the morning," she reported with immense relief.

"Dean is too," Ronda said. "We're both so lucky to be with such amazing people."

Clem nodded. "We are." She paused for a moment, looking into Ronda's eyes.

"What is it?" Ronda asked.

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight," Clem muttered.

Ronda knew exactly what she meant. After what they had been through, she felt like she needed the company of a friend, since Dean wasn't yet available to take care of her. Over the past week of firefighter training, she had felt a close friendship developing with Clem, and this night's horrifying events would strengthen that bond immeasurably as they both tried to cope with what they had experienced. "You're welcome to sleep in my room," she offered. "I could use the company. I think we both could."

"Definitely," Clem said quietly. "Thank you, Ronda. You're such a good friend to me." She rested her head on Ronda's shoulder.

In that moment, Ronda had never felt more protective of a friend. She knew that from this day forward, Ronda and Clementine were not just a pairing that WWE's fans liked to see on their TVs. They were beat friends who would do anything for each other.


	28. Chapter 28

"How has Clem been handling it?" Dean asked Alexa Bliss. They were sitting at a table in the catering area backstage before Raw, waiting for their respective partners to return from a meeting with Hunter Helmsley and Vince McMahon. Several days had passed since the appalling fire at Madison Tower in Pittsburgh, which had been witnessed first hand by Ronda and Clementine.

"Better than I expected, but still not all that well," Alexa said sorrowfully, looking down at the cup of coffee in her hand. "She's been having sleepless nights. That's totally understandable though. Some of the things they saw would live with anyone for life. She hasn't even talked about much of it with me; says she doesn't want to."

"Yeah, Ronda's been the same," Dean said with a grimace. "You get caught between wanting to help, yet not wanting to push them to talk about something they don't want to talk about."

Alexa felt relieved to have someone to talk to who understood what she herself had gone through since that fateful night. While she and Dean hadn't been the ones witnessing the harrowing events, they had been required to see their loved ones go through the awful after effects. There was at least one silver lining: they worked for a company who were very good at looking after their employees. "I'm grateful to Hunter for sorting out some counselling for them so quickly," she said.

Dean nodded. "Yes, I took his call when he tried to contact Ronda about it. Thankfully she agreed to go to the counselling without me needing to talk her into it. She's a smart girl, that one. Puts me to shame, I can tell you that."

"I hear you," Alexa said with a single laugh. "Clem astounds me sometimes with the things she knows. She knows stuff about pretty much anything. Some people might call her a nerd, but I just find it incredible. Like you just said, she puts me to shame. I love her so much, Dean. If anything had happened to her…" She wasn't able to finish the thought. Choked up, she looked away for a moment.

"Try not to get upset," Dean said compassionately. He had been in the same place several times over the past few days. "The important thing isn't what could have happened, it's that they're okay. At least, they will be okay once they've had the counselling. That's what I keep telling myself, anyway."

Taking a deep breath seemed to help Alexa compose herself. "Sorry, Dean. I know you're right. I just keep finding myself imagining the worst, even though I know I shouldn't." She quickly changed the subject. "So, how do you think WWE are going to handle it?"

That was the reason for the meeting that Ronda and Clem were currently in. While they had been helping the firefighters at Madison Tower, one of the news teams on the ground had managed to get a zoomed in shot of them. Soon one of the many breaking news items around the incident had been about Ronda Rousey and Clementine Everett being on the scene, helping out. Wrestling Twitter had blown up with positivity towards the two girls for their efforts under such difficult circumstances. But of course, when it came to kayfabe, that wasn't a good thing. Ronda was supposed to be the major heel woman on Raw. That status was now in jeopardy if the fans were going to cheer her because of what she had been doing out of character.

"Tricky one," Dean acknowledged. "If they wanted to, they could turn Ronda face. But I don't think they do. Oh, here they are now," he said, gesturing with his head towards the entrance to catering.

Ronda and Clementine had just walked into the room and were heading over to the table. Dean and Alexa stood up to greet them. Pecks on the cheek were exchanged between both couples, before Alexa offered to fetch coffee for the new arrivals.

"How did it go?" Dean asked as the remaining three sat down. Ronda was next to her man, with Clem opposite her.

"Alright," Ronda said with a nod. "Hunter's such a good guy, Vince too. They were both so concerned about us, wanting to do anything they can to make sure we're okay."

"We told them we're both going to the counselling and thanked them for arranging it," Clem added.

"Then we came to what to do as far as creative is concerned," Ronda said, looking at Dean. "As we expected, they think that there will be a willingness among the audience to cheer for me after we were seen on the news helping out the other day. It's okay for Clem because she already gets cheered every week when she walks out before the show. But for me, they see it as an issue. Hunter explained that they've put a lot into my The Arm Collector character. They changed my theme music and got rid of the Rowdy part of my name only last week, and they've put Zel with me to get me over as a heel, which has worked. They don't want to throw all of that hard work away now, so the plan is to keep me as a heel at least until Survivor Series. As you know, I'll be gone for a couple of months after that."

Dean nodded, thinking for a second that it was going to suck when his girlfriend was away for filming a movie that she had signed up for prior to agreeing her contract with WWE. "Logical. It's what I would have said in their position. So what's the plan for tonight's show?"

"Hunter said this week will be the main one to get through. If we can avoid getting me cheered tonight, he thinks we'll be okay to resume normal service next week."

"Makes sense," Dean said. "What are they doing tonight, then? Keeping you off-screen?"

"In a way," Ronda said. "They're going to have Clem and I do an out of character sit down interview with Charly, where we'll briefly talk about what happened last week and make mention of that charity fund that had been set up to raise money for the victims and people made homeless. That's where you come in, Clem."

"And here's Lexi," Clem said with a smile as her girlfriend returned with two cups of coffee, which she put down on the table. "Perfect timing, honey."

"Perfect timing?" Alexa queried with a smile as she re-took her seat.

"We were just telling Dean that in order to stop the fans cheering Ronda, the two of us are doing an out of character sit down interview with Charly. Renee will be replacing me on commentary for one night only. In the interview, we'll be talking about the fire and the fund that's been set up for the victims. We want to promote it and encourage the fans to donate some money."

"Lovely idea," Alexa said. But she had picked up something in Clementine's words. "The way you said promote it, what do you have in mind?"

Clementine gave a smile that had some nervousness in it. "After talking things over with Ronda earlier this afternoon, I pitched an idea to Hunter for a new Ronda and Clementine show. This time, I'll be asking fans to sponsor me to face my fear and follow in Ronda's footsteps. I'm going to do the same thing she did for Shark Week. I'll be learning to dive, and I'll eventually be getting in the water with a shark, and it'll all be filmed for a show on the Network."

"Oh, Clem!" Alexa exclaimed, her eyes wide in something between excitement and fear. "Are you sure about this? That's such a dangerous thing to do. I'll be so worried about you. My God."

"I am sure," Clem said, taking her girl's hand in a reassuring gesture. "No one has done more than you to try and get me to have more confidence in myself. That's the only reason I was able to pitch this to Hunter. I want to do it, honey, and I want to encourage the fans to donate money to see me do it. They wanted more Ronda and Clem shows, surely they won't mind making a small donation to a good cause to make one happen?"

"You'd think not," Alexa admitted thoughtfully. "I can't pretend I won't be worried about you, but of course I'll support you every step of the way. You'll kill it, and it will make an amazing show."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Clem said, leaning in for a little kiss on the lips.

Ronda looked at Dean with an 'aww' expression on her face. She found it impossible not to adore Blissentine as a couple. She knew that Clem hadn't gotten to the best bit yet, as far as Alexa was concerned.

"That's not all, though," Clem told her girl. "Hunter also said that if you wanted to be on the show, you can come along too. I'd really like that – to have you there on the boat to support me in person."

"Then I'm there," Alexa promised without hesitation.

"Yay!" Clem said excitedly before delivering another kiss.

"When is all of this going to happen?" Alexa asked next.

"Hunter said he'll have people start setting it all up ASAP. The shark diving will probably happen somewhere in the southern hemisphere, and it's summer down there now. This is the best time to do it. Of course, the first step is to hook me up with somewhere to learn to dive, but Ronda says they can do that in any kind of swimming pool. All you need is the equipment, and a qualified instructor. Hunter did say he hopes we can do it next month, before Ronda leaves for her filming. Otherwise it would likely have to wait for early next year, and that would be harder sell as far as donations are concerned."

"It's really not that hard at all," Ronda reported. "You already aced the fire training, Clem, and learning to dive is easier than that, trust me."

Clementine smiled. "Well, you've done it, so I have no reason not to believe you."

"Maybe I'll come along again too," Dean said. "I remember when you filmed your show, Ronda. I came out and joined you."

Ronda laughed loudly. "When you say joined me, you lay on the beach in the sun all day drinking beer."

Dean laughed too. "True. But I was doing it in the place where you were."

"That's true," Ronda giggled. "Let's do that, then. "The four of us can travel together. Dean can catch some sun and ruin his liver, Lexi and I can relax on the boat, and Clem can get eaten by a shark."

"Sounds like a plan with no drawbacks," Clementine beamed.


	29. Chapter 29

_WWE Super Show-Down – October 6th 2018_

The Melbourne Cricket Ground was sold out for the biggest wrestling show ever put on in Australia. One of the highlights on the card was the triple threat match for the Raw Women's Championship. A video promo package for the contest had just finished playing. It had ended with some words from Zelina Vega: "All Kurt Angle has done by making a triple threat match is give The Arm Collector two people's arms to claim."

"There you heard it, guys," Clementine said to her commentary colleagues when the shot returned to the arena. "Ronda Rousey fully intends to break some arms tonight it Melbourne, Australia."

Ruby Riott's music was first to play. She was greeted by quite a generous ovation, however it was no secret to anyone that the overwhelming fan favourite in the match was Elena D'Agostino, who was going to appear in her first title match in WWE.

"Listen to this reaction for Ruby Riott," Cole said. "Ruby defeated all comers while she was Raw Women's Champion, including beating Bayley inside the Hell in a Cell. But then Ronda Rousey cashed-in her Money in the Bank contract and took away the title that Ruby had worked so hard for."

"It's all fair game when it comes to the Money in the Bank, but it was impossible not to feel sympathy for Ruby to lose the title the way she did," Coach said.

"I didn't feel sorry for her," Clementine said. "This isn't a business where you feel sorry for people. Ruby lost the title to Ronda, and she gets a rematch tonight to try and claim it back. If she wants to be champion, she'll have to beat Elena, or do what only Elena herself has managed to do, and that is beat Ronda Rousey."

"Don't talk like it's impossible, Clem," Cole said. "If Ruby hits that Riott Kick, it's not going to matter who it is, they're going down."

Ruby finished making her way down the long entrance ramp in the huge open air stadium and entered the ring. When her music faded out, the fans knew who was going to come next. A chant of "Daga!" spread like wildfire. Within moments, it seemed like everyone was joining in.

"Listen to this place!" Cole exclaimed. "Everyone's going crazy for…"

He was cut off by all of the lights going dark and the intro to Elena's music, which sent the crowd into a frenzy.

"Woah! What an ovation for Elena D'Agostino!" Coach cried.

There was another eruption when the lights came back on and Elena jumped up from her crouched position at the top of the entrance ramp.

"It's a good job the MCG doesn't have a roof because it would have just been taken off!" Cole joined in.

"There's no doubt who the fans are backing in this one," Clementine said. "Unfortunately for Elena, that means absolutely nothing once the bell rings. She will be in the ring with Ruby Riott, and she'll be in there with Ronda Rousey. While it's true that Elena beat Ronda once, she's not going to get lucky like that again."

"Lucky?" Cole objected. "Elena knocked Rousey clean out and pinned her. What was lucky about that?"

"Where do you want me to start, Cole?" Clem fired back. "Ronda came into that match without her manager. Zelina Vega was out injured. As if that wasn't bad enough, Ronda had never faced Elena before; had probably never even seen her compete before. Daga knocked her out, I'll give her all the props in the world for that, I'm just saying don't count on it happening again. This time, Ronda knows what she's getting into, and she'll be ready."

"It won't matter how ready she is if Elena hits the Virtuosa Kick," Coach said. "If that happens, it'll be lights out again, for either Ronda or Ruby. We've already seen that kick break Zelina Vega's jaw. Maybe that could happen again? I know I wouldn't complain."

"I second that," Cole said. "Someone needs to shut Zelina up."

"The two of you are idiots," Clem shot back. "Vega is the mastermind behind The Arm Collector. If you could say that about yourself, you'd never want to stop throwing it in people's faces either."

Elena walked quickly to the ring and completed her theatrical entrance routine by summersaulting over the top rope in her usual manner. She received a standing ovation for it, along with another chant of "Daga!" as soon as her music stopped playing.

"Elena's second to none when it comes to showmanship," Clementine acknowledged. "But it's time to stop dancing around the place and get serious."

To that end, Ronda's new theme music began to play. It was greeted with a chorus of boos, WWE having successfully managed to avoid the Madison Tower tragedy turning Ronda face. The champion walked out onto the stage with her belt around her waist and her manager by her side.

"Here comes The Arm Collector, along with Zelina Vega," Cole said. "As always, look at the stone-faced, steely-eyed expression on Ronda Rousey. It's as if she only knows one purpose, and that is to destroy anyone Zelina Vega points her in the direction of."

"It's definitely a different Ronda we've seen since Zelina became her manager," Coach agreed.

"It's quite simple," Clementine began to explain, sounding like she was rolling her eyes. "Zelina has Ronda focused. She has her determined. She's made her the weapon of mass destruction she always had the potential to be. I firmly believe that there is no woman on earth more dangerous than The Arm Collector."

On the way to the ring, Zelina was shouting heatedly at Ronda in order to hype her up for the fight that she was about to get into.

"Vega has certainly made that claim," Cole said. "And she also said that makes her the second most dangerous woman in the world, with Ronda doing her bidding. One thing is for sure: Zelina is going to be a big factor in this match because she will be at ringside."

Ronda and Zelina entered the ring, claiming the corner closest to the steps as their own. The music faded out, leaving Jojo to begin her announcements.

"The following is a triple threat match, set for one fall, and it is for the Raw Women's Championship! Introducing first, from Lafayette, Indiana, Ruby Riott!"

Ruby showed no reaction to the cheer her name attracted, her focus remaining intent on Ronda and the belt she was wearing.

"Next, from Milan, Italy, La Virtuosa, Elena D'Agostino!"

Elena had already removed her white sports jacket. She now threw some warm up punches in the centre of the ring as a way of posing for her introduction while the fans roared their approval.

"And their opponent…" Jojo managed to say before Zelina walked over to her, wagging an admonishing finger. The crowd booed as the microphone was handed to Ronda's manager, who always insisted on introducing her client herself.

"Leave," Zelina barked at Jojo, drawing more boos. The ring announcer complied with the instruction, leaving centre stage to Vega. "Their opponent," she began, over the top of more booing, "is the current, and future, Raw Women's Champion! She is the most dangerous woman on the planet! She is The Arm Collector, Ronda Rousey!"

Ronda had removed her title belt from around her waist and now held it aloft, still with an almost emotionless expression on her face, which a cameraman captured with a well-timed zoom in.

"Wow," Clementine said quietly. "You wouldn't get me in the ring with Ronda Rousey. Look at that look."

The referee took the title belt from Ronda and handed it through the ropes to the timekeeper. With that done, he rang the bell to start the match. As soon as they were given the green light, both Ruby and Elena sprinted out of their corners in the direction of Ronda. The crowd went crazy as they both started hammering away with punches and kicks, leaving Ronda trapped in the corner, trying to cover up as best she could.

"Look at Elena and Ruby go!" Cole cried. "They must have hatched this plan beforehand! They're beating the hell out of Rousey!"

"They want to take her out before she can start doing damage to them!" Coach called.

"This isn't fair!" Clem protested. "This isn't a handicap match!"

"No, it's a triple threat match, and this is smart strategy," Coach said. "Ruby and Elena have decided to deal with Rousey together, then settle the match between them!"

For the first couple of minutes of the contest, D'Agostino and Riott assisted each other to take Rousey apart, hitting move after move on her. It took all of that time for them to do enough damage to even keep Ronda down on the mat for more than a few seconds. It was the Riott Kick that eventually knocked her down once and for all.

After hitting the move, Ruby scurried into a quick cover. Ronda powered out at one, before Elena even had the chance to break it up. Even so, it proved to be a mistake for Ruby. As she got up, Elena nearly took her head off her shoulders with a Virtuosa Kick that was delivered so fast that it seemed to come from nowhere. The fans erupted, thinking that the match might be over quickly.

Clementine let out a shriek of surprise and horror when the kick connected. "My God what a kick! That's going to be all!"

Elena made a cover, and the fans all joined in with the count.

"One!"

"Two!"

Ronda came desperately lunging into the shot, falling onto Elena to break the count at the last moment.

"Rousey makes the save!" Cole called. "I thought Elena had it! Elena thought she had it!"

On the outside of the ring, Zelina was shown with her hands on her head and a look of immense relief on her face.

"I think Zelina thought so too," Coach said.

With the alliance between Riott and D'Agostino now broken, the match was able to settle into the usual back and forth nature of a triple threat, with one of the competitors often down on the outside of the ring.

When the cue came from the referee to move on to the finishing sequence of the match, Elena was the one on the outside, getting up after the latest beat down she had suffered. Meanwhile, Ruby was taking it to Ronda in the ring. Zelina seized on the moment to make a move and attack Elena. She climbed up onto the apron, ran along it and launched herself into the air to deliver a hurricanrana into the ring steps.

"I knew we wouldn't get through the match without some interference from Vega," Cole said with distaste. "She just attacked Elena D'Agostino behind the referee's back, not that he could have done anything if he had seen it. There is no disqualification under triple threat rules."

With Daga taken out, Zelina climbed back on the ring apron to try and distract Ruby. Unfortunately for her, Riott had seen what had happened on the outside, and was waiting for that exact move. Before Zelina had a chance to react, a Riott Kick caught her square in the face, sending her flying to floor unconscious.

"Yes! Take that, Vega!" Coach cried over a thunderous cheer.

Behind Ruby, Ronda had just gotten up. Noticing her opponent distracted, she got in position, ready to strike. Ruby turned around and walked right into a vicious arm drag takedown. Ronda kept a tight hold of the arm, and dropped into her signature armbar. The fans groaned in disappointment, considering the contest to be over.

"She's got it!" Clem shrieked. "The Arm Collector strikes! Ruby is right in the middle of the ring! It's over with!"

Not wanting to get her arm snapped, Ruby tapped out almost immediately. The bell sounded and Ronda's music began to play.

"Just like that, Rousey retains," Cole said. "But not for the first time, it was thanks to an assist from Zelina Vega. She provided the distraction, and Ronda capitalised on it."

"Like it or not, Ronda Rousey is still Raw Women's Champion," Coach said, his tone conveying that he didn't exactly approve of the news that he was breaking.

In the ring, the referee had handed Ronda her belt, and she raised in a fairly emotionless celebration, showing no sign of concern for Zelina at all. It was as if it wasn't an emotion she was capable of feeling.

Accepting the loss for what it was, Elena had walked around to the entrance ramp and was standing there looking towards the ring. Ronda saw her, and the two women locked eyes.

"Me and you. This is not finished," Elena snarled, her words picked up on camera as she pointed at the belt in Ronda's hand.

"What more is there to say?" Cole said. "Elena D'Agostino clearly wants another shot at Rousey. Somewhere down the line, I think that has to happen. There is unfinished business between those two ladies."

"Who cares what Elena wants?" Clem said dismissively. "What matters is that The Arm Collector is still your Raw Women's Champion. Congratulations to Ronda Rousey, victorious here at the MCG."


	30. Chapter 30

Ronda and Clementine: In at the Deep End was going to be the title of the popular duo's second WWE Network show. The first scenes that needed to be filmed were Clementine being taught to dive by a scuba instructor. To that end, WWE had arranged for them to fly to Hawaii, where Clem would undergo an intensive scuba training course over a period of several days. Assuming she successfully completed the course, she would become a certified diver. The first day of the course was going to take place in the indoor pool at their hotel, which WWE had convinced them to close to the public for the day.

Thanks to the generous invitation from Hunter, Alexa had also been included in the plans for the show. Her relationship with Clementine was public knowledge, so it would be a nice touch for the viewers to see Alexa there to support her girlfriend every step of the way through what promised to be a very challenging, and at times frightening experience.

"It's just a shame Dean's not here," Clementine said as the three women walked through the hotel towards the pool area, where Clem would meet her instructor for the first time. Naturally, a film crew were ready and waiting to capture the introductory encounter for the show.

While Dean would be joining the three women on the trip to Australia when then the actual shark diving part of the show was filmed, he was currently back in America working his usual schedule of WWE live events.

"It is a shame," Ronda said with a sigh. Being away from her man was never something she liked.

Alexa had other thoughts on her mind. As they walked, she discreetly admired Clem's figure in the wetsuit that she was wearing in preparation for her dive training. It was a custom designed suit that Alexa had purchased for her as a gift. It was predominantly white, with a discreet pattern in purple. They were the same colours as Clem's favourite cap, which, rarely, she wasn't wearing. The finishing touch was the word Clementine in fancy purple writing on the back of the suit. "Who would have ever thought someone could look so sexy in wetsuit?" Alexa said, gently biting her bottom lip.

"Shush," Clem said, embarrassed by the comment with Ronda walking beside them. Her skin tone wasn't dark enough to entirely conceal the fact that she was blushing.

Grinning, Ronda decided to needle her friend a little bit. She made a point of admiring Clem herself and nodding her approval. "It is a very nice suit. Fits perfectly, too. Look at that figure."

"Alright, shut up," Clementine said with a giggle, knowing exactly what Ronda was doing.

Ronda and Alexa both laughed at her reaction. Up ahead, there was a sign pointing the way to the swimming pool.

"Here we go," Clem said, some nerves evident in her voice now that the prospect of her dive training was so close at hand.

Reflecting on past experiences, Ronda felt like she knew how this was going to go. Clem would start off the training quite nervously, gain confidence in herself as it went on, and by the end of it would probably be a better diver than Ronda herself.

Although she was not going to be in the water at any point during the filming, this was still a Ronda and Clementine show, which meant that she was a co-star. For that reason, she would be doing quite a few pieces to camera as the show went on, answering questions about what Clem was experiencing. Alexa would also be on camera, giving her reactions to what was happening.

The trio approached the pool area. A middle aged man with short greying hair was standing there waiting for them. He introduced himself as the show's director and spent a couple of minutes explaining once more to Ronda and Alexa what their roles were going to be.

"Okay, Clem," he said, moving on. "You're going to give me a minute to get back into position, then you're going to walk into the pool area and meet your instructor. We'll be filming, so no bad language," he added as an attempt at a joke.

"I'm the one you need to worry about when it comes to language," Ronda informed him, grinning broadly as the other two women chuckled at his joke. Ronda's reply brought further laughter. With that, the director headed into the pool area.

"Feeling nervous now," Clementine said to Alexa.

"You'll do great, honey," Alexa replied tenderly. "Remember what we say?"

"With confidence, you have succeeded before you've started," they both said together.

Ronda found it an extraordinarily touching moment. Alexa had either found or come up with that little line to help Clem whenever she was struggling for self-confidence. Among the multitude of ways a person could express love for their partner, Ronda considered that had to be somewhere near the top of the list. She decided to keep her mouth shut and give her friends their moment as they shared a kiss.

"I guess this is it then," Clem said with a smile. Without delaying any longer, she led the way through the door into the pool area.

Walking in behind Clementine, Ronda saw a few cameras arranged on the other side of the pool, along with the usual sound equipment. Waiting for them on their side of the pool was Clementine's instructor. It was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was quite short, maybe five and a half feet, had fairly pale skin and dark hair, and she was wearing a black wetsuit with a manufacturer's logo on the front. Clementine had been told ahead of time that her instructor was also an expert on diving with sharks, meaning that she could be guided by the same person from beginning to end of the show.

The instructor smiled as the new arrivals approached her. Clem offered her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Clementine."

"Nice to meet you, Clementine. I'm Danielle Morris. I'll be teaching you to dive over the next few days."

"Can't wait to get started," Clem replied convincingly, along with a smile.

Next, it was Ronda's turn to step forward. "Hey. Ronda," she said pleasantly as she offered her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Danielle said again as they shook. "I saw your show on Shark Week. Incredible stuff."

"Thanks," Ronda beamed. "Let's make sure Clem's experience is just as good."

"If not better," Danielle confirmed. She moved on to meeting Alexa, then it was time to get the show on the road. "Okay, Clementine, I understand you have no dive experience at all, so the first thing we need to do is talk you through the equipment we'll be using. I see you've got yourself a seriously cool looking wetsuit, so that's a great start."

"Call me Clem," she offered with a little smile. "No, I don't have any dive experience. I have been through firefighter training though, so I know about using air tanks at least."

"Alright," Danielle nodded. "We'll have a quick run through anyway, to be sure."

While the instructor led Clem a little further along the pool to where a whole load of gear was arranged on the side, Alexa and Ronda went and stood at the end closest to the entrance door, out of the way of the filming. They could also do their pieces to camera over there.

"I'm so proud of her, you know?" Alexa said quietly.

"I know. I am too," Ronda said. "Clem's quickly become my best friend. I'm so glad we all get to do this together."

They watched on while Danielle and Clem sat on the edge of the pool and both put pairs of black fins on their feet.

"Do they actually make swimming easier?" Alexa enquired.

"More than you might think," Ronda replied, happy to be asked about her experience. "You definitely wouldn't want to dive without them. It would much harder."

"So what's she going to have Clem do first?"

As the question was posed, Danielle had picked up a mask and snorkel. She put the mask on, demonstrating how to use the strap to make sure the seal was watertight.

"First of all, she'll have Clem get comfortable with simple snorkelling gear, starting by just putting her head under the water with the mask on. They really do take you from the very basics. Once she's used to the gear and she's been taught how to snorkel correctly, she'll have to do a few lengths of the pool."

And so it proved to be. Ronda stood and watched her friend learn the basics, and could tell that she was already gaining confidence in herself once she was familiar with the snorkelling gear. Seeing the learning process all over again made Ronda want to get back in the water herself. She found herself wondering if there might be a diving vacation for her and Clem in the future, once filming this show was finished.

Alexa was asked to give a piece to camera, talking about what it was like to see her girlfriend start out on the process that was going to lead to her coming face to face with a fifteen to twenty foot long great white shark. Clem's experience was going to be different to Ronda's on Shark Week in that she would not dive outside of a cage. Instead, she would come face to face with the sea's biggest and most feared predator, the great white. Even Ronda couldn't claim to have encountered one of them.

When Alexa was done, Ronda was asked to do a piece to answer the question of how it made her feel that her friend was taking on something that she freely admitted terrified her.

"Clem's a badass," Ronda said to begin her answer. "I've said it before and I've said it again. That's why she's my best friend. You might not think it to look at us or to hear us talk, but we're a lot alike. We both have that inner determination that once we take something on, we will not fail. And this will be no different. I don't doubt for a minute that Clem will end up in that shark cage, and she will look a great white shark eye to eye. It'll be awesome to see, and I'll be so proud of her."

After Clem had finished her snorkelling part of the course, she and Danielle took a quick break for a drink and a rest. Danielle did a quick piece to camera to talk about how Clem was getting on so far, then it was time to get back to the training.

"Okay, Clem," Danielle said. "Now that you're a bit more at ease under the water, we'll move on to the next stage. We're going to get you into your scuba gear for the first time. We'll be using one of these for all of your dives." She picked up a full face scuba mask and showed it to her student. "The advantage of these masks is that we can insert a microphone into it through this hole here, so you and I can communicate verbally rather than relying on hand signals. Our communications will also be available for the show's audience, and we can set it up so that Alexa and Ronda will be able to hear us on the boat, and they'll be able to talk back to us."

"Oh, I'm going to give you some grief!" Ronda called out from the end of the pool, having overheard that. Her jovial threat made everyone laugh.

"Now, you said earlier you've done firefighter training and used air tanks. You wore breathing apparatus as part of it?"

"Yes, I did," Clem confirmed.

"Good, then you'll be somewhat familiar with what it's like to wear this mask. First we need to get you set up with some air." Danielle spent some time showing Clem how to connect the air supply to the mask, and demonstrating with a mask of her own how to put it on and secure it. It was all familiar to Clem from the fire training, but she was glad of the recap. Eventually, she was standing on the side of the pool in her full scuba gear for the first time. It was time for them to get into the water, so that Clem could learn the more technical aspects of diving while wearing that kind of mask.

"Wait a minute!" Ronda called out, hurrying over to the two women with her phone. She knew the film crew might be annoyed at her interference, but they would have to live with it. "I just want to get a pic of you, Clem."

Clem's nose and mouth were hidden behind the blue silicone of the mask's interior, but her laugh was audible and it was possible to tell in her eyes that she was smiling. "Sure, why not. I'm sure I don't look like a complete idiot or anything," she said, her voice somewhat muffled. She posed with one thumb up for the picture.

"Perfect," Ronda said. "I'll get that up on Instagram now."

While Clem and Danielle got into the pool, Ronda walked back over to Alexa.

"The two of you are so funny," Alexa said with a grin. Her next words were delivered a lot more seriously. "Thank you for being such a good friend to her, Ronda. Your friendship makes her so happy, and that means a lot to me."

"Aww don't," Ronda said. "You'll have me in tears if you carry on like that. You guys are both awesome, and I'm proud to call you both friends. Here, help me come up with a caption for the picture."

A couple of minutes later, the picture of Clem went live on Ronda's account, with the caption:  _Look at Clem! Such a badass! In just a few weeks, she'll be going face to face with a great white shark for the next Ronda and Clementine show. Wish her luck!"_


	31. Chapter 31

"It was nice knowing you, Clem," Dean said with one of his trademark little sideways grins. He had just watched Ronda, Alexa and Clementine step onto the boat that was going to take them out to the final dive site for the filming of Ronda and Clementine: In at the Deep End.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Alexa demanded, standing with her hands on her hips.

Dean shrugged. "She'll be shark shit in an hour."

"Dean!" Ronda exclaimed. "Carry on like that and you'll be shark shit!"

"Doesn't she say the nicest things to me?" he asked theatrically, making them all laugh.

Luckily, his comment didn't get to Clementine, who was feeling confident about her final dive. Indeed, she was very much looking forward to it. "I'll say hi to a great white for you, Dean," she said. "Who knows, maybe one day you'll have the balls to do something like this yourself?"

Her out of character jab made everyone including Danielle Morris burst into hysterics. Even Dean couldn't help himself laughing. "I would come and join you right now, but there's a beer or three with my name on them back on the beach. I'll tell you what I will do though. When you get back, I'll buy you a drink to celebrate. Deal?"

"Alright, deal," Clem said with a smile.

"Okay, good luck," Dean said, seriously this time.

"Thank you," Clem said appreciatively.

"I'll see you later," Ronda said to her man, blowing him a kiss. "Get the cocktails ready for when we get back."

"Will do. Have fun."

With the goodbyes over with, the girls went and sat near the back of the boat, waiting for it to get moving. Before long, they were making quick progress across the ocean, heading for a site known to frequented by great white sharks. It would be the last of several cage dives for Clementine. The first few had been aimed at getting her accustomed to the environment, and to seeing some much smaller sharks in close quarters. Now it was time to film the climax of the show. If all went to plan, she would soon come face to face with the most dangerous predator in the sea.

When the boat arrived on at the dive location, it was the job of Danielle and the crew to start throwing bait called chum into the water to attract sharks to the boat. Meanwhile, other crew members got the shark cage ready and lowered it into the water. The WWE Network team set about getting their own equipment ready, including one of the guys getting into a wetsuit. He would be taking an underwater camera into the cage with Danielle and Clem in order to film the reactions of the star of the show.

Meanwhile, inside the boat a station had been set up where Alexa and Ronda could sit and listen to Clementine and Danielle's communications through headsets, and could get involved themselves by using a microphone on the console. Everything that was said would also be recorded for the show and could be edited into the footage later by the production team.

"I guess it's time," Clem said after she had finished putting her wetsuit on.

"Yes," Danielle said. "Let's gear up. We'll get in the water before the first sharks show up."

Ronda helped Clem to get into her dive gear while Alexa stood nearby with a nervous expression on her face. It was impossible for her not to be concerned about what her girlfriend was about to do. A great white shark was no laughing matter. If something went wrong, either Clem or Danielle could be killed.

When Clementine had her fins and air tank on and had connected the air supply to her mask, she was essentially ready to go.

"I need a kiss first," Alexa said, stepping up to her girl before she had a chance to put the mask on.

"As if I would go without one," Clem said lovingly. They pecked each other on the lips, then shared a more passionate kiss.

"Enjoy, honey. And stay safe," Alexa said, holding Clem's cheeks in her hands before giving her another kiss. There was unmistakeable, undying love in both of their eyes.

"I will. I love you."

"I love you, too."

With that, it was time for Clem and Danielle to get into the cage. They put their masks on, checked for each other that all of their gear was safe and secure, then dropped off the side of the boat into the cage. The cameraman with the underwater jumped in after them, then one of the crew secured the cage's roof. Everything was set, so he began lowering it under the water.

"She's so brave," Alexa said to Ronda. "I could never do that."

"She really is," Ronda agreed. "Even on my show, I didn't have to confront a great white. Come on, let's get inside, where we can talk to her."

Ronda led the way to the station where the communications gear had been set up, with a cameraman dutifully following them. They sat down on the two chairs that had been left for them and put their headsets on.

Under the water, Clementine was peering through her mask to try and pick up any sign of a shark. So far, there were only much smaller fish swimming around. As beautiful as they undoubtedly were, they were not what she was there for.

"Won't be long, Clem," Danielle said from beside her, clearly looking forward to what was about to happen.

Alexa's voice came through then, concern evident in it even with the fairly poor sound quality. "Clem? Are you okay, honey?"

"Yes, babe, I'm all good," Clem reported, smiling at the sound of her girlfriend's voice. "No sharks around yet."

"I'm sure there's a big ass one coming real soon," Ronda said.

Clementine chuckled. "No doubt. And if it's a female, I'm calling it Ronda. I can see you as a great white shark, you know?"

Ronda sounded flattered when she replied. "I can live with that. Let us know when you see something."

It took nearly another ten minutes before the chum bait attracted its intended target. Out of the gloom, an absolutely enormous shark came slowly into view. Clem's eyes went wide behind her mask and her breathing quickened significantly. "Holy…" she began, leaving the exclamation unfinished.

"Oh, yes!" Danielle exclaimed. "That's a great white alright. Female. Must be nearly twenty feet. Isn't she a beauty?"

"Guys, Ronda the shark just showed up," Clem reported back to the boat. "Holy hell she's scary-looking."

"What's it doing?" Alexa asked anxiously, sounding she imagined the shark might immediately start attacking the cage.

"Coming closer," Clem said, staring intently at it and trying to suppress her fear. This was the moment she had been working up to, but it was still seriously scary.

"Here she comes, Clem," Danielle said, as if she needed to. "She'll probably grab some of the chum, and with a bit of luck she'll come right past us afterwards."

Clementine didn't notice that she had tightly clenched her fists in fear as the huge monster approached, heading further over towards the back of the boat. By then, the full scale of it could now be seen as its entire length was visible. Clem could also see its rows of massive, razor sharp teeth in its gaping mouth. "My God," she breathed, only just audible.

"Get ready," Danielle said. "Here she comes."

The shark hadn't actually gone as far as the bait. It had seemed to lose interest in it, and turned in the direction of the cage. For a second, Clementine wondered if it had decided the three people in there would make a much better meal. But no attack was coming.

"She's inquisitive," Danielle said.

As the shark came closer, Clem realised it was going to pass by the cage. It was taking a look at the strange and unfamiliar object.

"Wow," Clem said in awe as the shark cruised slowly past, looking at her with its glassy, emotionless black eye. Again, her eyes drifted to the teeth. So many teeth. It was a truly horrifying sight. But she had done it! She had achieved her goal of going eye to eye with a great white!

"Guys! She swam right past us!" Clem cried on delight, wanting to share her exhilaration with her girl and her best friend.

"How close?" Alexa asked, beaming in delight at Clem's obvious excitement.

"Right past us! Literally right past! Her fin almost touched the cage!"

"You did it, Clem!" Danielle exclaimed. "Congratulations! Well done."

"Yeah, well done, Clem," Ronda said. "I'm really proud of you, girl."

"Me too!" Alexa exclaimed. "Honey, I don't know how you just did that without losing it."

"Honestly, neither do I," Clementine said, drawing laughter from all of the others.

On the boat, one of the film crew put Alexa on the spot with a question, with a camera filming her for her response. "Alexa, how does it feel to know that Clem was just feet away from a great white?"

Alexa turned to face the questioner, seeing the camera pointed at her as she did so. "Now that it's over, it feels amazing," she said with a slight shake of her head. "I could never have done that. I'm so proud of her. So, so proud. I don't even know what else I can say."

Seeing her friend a little overwhelmed, Ronda decided to add her own two cents. "That girl down there is one of the toughest, most determined people I've ever known. She owned this from start to finish, just like she did the firefighter training. There's a lot more to come from Clementine, and I hope you're all as excited for it as I am."

"Thanks, Ronda," one of the crew said after the filming was stopped. "I think you just gave us the perfect little piece to put right at the end of the show."


	32. Chapter 32

_Monday Night Raw – October 22nd 2018_

On the first episode of Raw following the Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia, Kurt Angle had announced that the traditional battle of the brands would be taking place at Survivor Series. The two highest profile matches on the card would be the five on five contests – one for the men and one for the women.

Kurt had then gone on to name his teams. The women's team he had selected was Elena D'Agostino, Becky Lynch, Natalya, Bayley and Ruby Riott. He had gone on to add that the first name he would have picked, had he been able to, was his Raw Women's Champion, Ronda Rousey. However, Zelina Vega had informed him that she was ruling her client out of selection, saying that The Arm Collector owed nothing to him or anyone else on Raw. Naturally, that announcement had been heavily booed by the fans.

Kurt had made the unusual decision to put his chosen five women in a match against each other that night. It was a battle royal, with the right to captain the team on the line. It had been won by Becky Lynch, to the delight of most of the audience.

The following week, the five women from Smackdown's team, led by their captain, the Smackdown Women's Champion Sonya Deville, had shown up at Raw and attacked the Raw women in their locker room. A savage beat down had been inflicted, leaving all five women lying.

Now, the week after the attack, Becky had called her team together in the locker room for a discussion about what had happened to them the previous week. There was a loud cheer from the fans watching on the big screen in the arena when the women were shown. None of them looked happy in the least, especially the captain herself.

"Ladies," Becky said, "since last Monday night, I've done nothing but think about those bitches from Smackdown having the barefaced nerve to come to our arena, to our locker room, and assault us all. I'm sure you've had it on your minds, too."

"Oh, it's been on my mind alright," Ruby Riott said over murmurs of agreement from the others. "So what are we going to do to get back at them?"

"Right," Bayley said in agreement. "You're the captain, Becky. Let's hear your plan for revenge."

"It's not revenge that concerns me," Becky explained. "We've got to be smarter than that. What matters is winning the match at Survivor Series, and ladies, I'm concerned by Kurt's team selection."

"Meaning what?" Elena D'Agostino demanded, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Meaning we're without the most dominant woman on Raw right now. We're without the Raw Women's Championship. Don't get me wrong, I don't like Ronda Rousey," Becky clarified. "None of you like Ronda. Kurt doesn't like Ronda, and he doesn't like Zelina Vega. But," she said, holding up a finger to emphasise the coming point. "Imagine what those Smackdown women would be thinking if we managed to get Ronda on the team."

The other four women looked around at each other. "I know what I'd be thinking if I was them," Bayley said with a little shudder and an instinctive touch of her arm that had at one time been broken by The Arm Collector.

Natalya said, "Whether we agree that the team would be better with Ronda or not, Vega told Kurt no. Plus we already have five people."

"We can cross that bridge when we come to it," Becky said. "But first, I'm prepared to go and speak to Zelina and ask her to reconsider Ronda being on Team Raw. Those in favour, raise your hands."

Becky raised her own hand, then looked around at the others. Natalya sighed and raised hers.

"Fine," Ruby grumbled, reluctantly raising her hand.

Bayley followed suit, looking a lot less than happy about it.

"Daga?" Becky asked as all eyes turned to the Italian, who had been in a rivalry with Rousey since her debut.

It took a moment for Elena to relent and go along with her teammates. "Alright, I do it for Raw," she said in her usual awkward English, putting her hand up.

"Then it's decided," Becky proclaimed. "I will go and speak to Vega, and we'll see what happens."

* * *

A short time later, Becky was shown approaching a locker with Ronda Rousey's name on the door. She didn't look thrilled about the task at hand, but she resolved herself to knock on the door.

After a few seconds, the door was opened by Zelina Vega, who looked irritated by the intrusion. "What?" she demanded impatiently.

Becky got straight to the point. "As the captain of Team Raw, I'd like you to reconsider your decision to rule Ronda out of selection. We would like her on the team."

"You would like her on the team," Zelina repeated slowly, as if she was trying to comprehend the sentence. Then her expression hardened. "You think I care what you would like?" she spat. "You think it has any relevance to me whatsoever? Let me tell you, it doesn't. The Arm Collector owes you nothing. The Arm Collector owes nothing to anyone on Monday Night Raw. So am I going to make her available for selection? No! Now get lost before I bring Ronda out here and have her send you into Survivor Series with one arm."

The two women glared at each other for a moment before Becky turned and departed, shaking her head in disappointment.

* * *

For the episode's main event, Becky and Elena had been booked to team together in a tag team match against Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, two women who had missed out on the Survivor Series team.

After a contest lasting just over ten minutes, it appeared that a fairly routine win was coming the way of Becky and Elena when the Italian lined up a Virtuosa Kick on Logan. Ronda and Zelina were shown watching on a monitor backstage, not looking impressed by what they were seeing.

Some booing from the crowd was the first indication that something was wrong. The reason soon became apparent. The entire Smackdown women's team had come through the crowd and were rushing the ring.

"Smackdown are here again!" Clementine called on commentary. "Where are security? Get them out of here, for God's sake!"

"And the beat down is on again," Cole said heatedly as the five new arrivals quickly swamped Elena, beating her down to the mat, attacking her like a pack of dogs.

Too late, Becky returned to the ring from the outside, only to immediately catch a vicious kick to the side of the head from Sonya Deville, the Smackdown captain and Women's Champion.

"There's your Raw women!" Sonya yelled at the crowd, hyped up by the damage she had inflicted on Becky.

The Smackdown women moved on to beating the hell out of Logan and Morgan, for no other reason than to prove a point.

Ronda and Zelina were shown for a second time. Zelina shook her head, finding the Raw performance embarrassing. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said to her client as she turned to lead the way away from the monitor.

In the ring, the four Raw women were being decimated. Logan and Morgan were discarded over the top rope so that Becky and Elena could be targeted more ferociously.

At last, the crowd were given something to cheer about. Bayley, Ruby and Natalya came running onto the stage and down the entrance ramp.

"Here comes the cavalry!" Clementine cried. "The rest of Team Raw are coming to save Becky and Elena!"

"Yes! Get 'em, girls!" Coach shouted.

The three Raw team members slid under the bottom rope. Bayley took down Carmella with a clothesline, while Ruby immediately hit a Riott Kick on Asuka, drawing a loud pop from the fans. Natalya started exchanging blows with Charlotte.

The element of surprise had helped the Raw women initially, but it didn't take long for the numbers game to catch up to them. Billie Kay was the final member of the blue brand's team. She ran at Bayley and almost took her head off with the Shades of Kay. It took all energy out of the crowd, who were resigned to seeing a massacre.

"Our women are getting torn apart here, for the second week in a row," Clementine said. "This looks very bad for us ahead of Survivor Series."

The shot changed to show the arena's parking garage. Ronda and Zelina walked into the shot, approaching a car that was waiting for them. Zelina reached the car first and opened one of the rear doors.

Before getting in, she hesitated, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face. She turned slowly to face Ronda, who stood emotionless beside her. A cheer started to go up as the fans watched on the big screen.

After a second, Zelina seemed to have a change of heart. She slammed the car door shut and said, "Back inside, come on," before leading her client back towards the arena.

The shot returned to show the ring, where Natalya had been put in a Figure Eight by Charlotte. The fans in the background didn't seem to care anymore. They were all on their feet, looking towards the stage, certain that Ronda was going to come out. There was a real buzz about the place.

"Guys, Zelina Vega is bringing Ronda Rousey back into the building!" Coach exclaimed. "Is Rousey going to come out here and get involved in this fight?"

"It sure looks like Becky Lynch was right earlier tonight. Team Raw needs the Raw Women's Champion," Cole said.

As he finished speaking, Ronda's music began to play. All of a sudden, it sounded more like a superhero's music than a villain's. The crowd erupted, apparently feeling exactly the same vibe.

"And here she comes!" Clementine yelled. "Ronda Rousey on her way to the ring! Let's hope she's coming to help Raw, not to finish them off!"

Ronda had stormed ahead of Zelina on her way down the ramp. Seeing the threat incoming, Sonya had dispatched Billie Kay to prevent Rousey getting into the ring. It went about as well as could have been expected. As Billie came running towards her, Ronda broke into a jog of her own and swung a devastating clothesline that connected flush with the Australian's jaw. It was like someone being hit in the face with a tree branch, and it had the same effect.

"Oh, what a clothesline!" Clem yelled as the fans erupted. There was now no doubt: Ronda was there to help Team Raw.

The remaining four Smackdown women had stopped beating down the other members of the Raw team and were awaiting Ronda.

It didn't put Rousey off at all. She slid under the bottom rope and immediately started swinging away with right hands at Deville and her team, who all rushed her at once.

"Down goes Asuka!" Clementine yelled. "Down goes Carmella! Down goes Deville! Rousey with those bone-shattering right hands, laying waste to Team Smackdown!"

Charlotte had tried to play it clever while Ronda had been dealing with the others. Picking what she thought was the right moment, she ran at Rousey. It didn't work out as she planned. Ronda was able to scoop her up on her shoulders and deliver her Samoan Drop Slam.

"Charlotte taken out by Ronda!" Cole called. The crowd erupted at the impact.

Carmella was the next one to get up. She was scooped up onto Ronda's shoulders and slammed down with the same move, to another huge reaction.

"Rousey is on fire!" Coach cried.

Asuka and Sonya were both getting, back up, but so was Becky Lynch. Becky grabbed hold of Sonya, getting her in position for a Bexploder suplex, while Ronda scooped up Asuka onto her shoulders. Both women hit their finishers at the same time, putting and end to the Smackdown women.

The fans were giving Ronda a standing ovation. While the massacre had been taking place, Zelina had walked around to the ring announcer's area. With a microphone in hand, she climbed up the ring steps and stepped through the ropes. She approached Becky and delivered a simple message. "You wanted Ronda available for selection for Team Raw. She's available."

"Yes!" Clementine cried in delight as the fans went wild and Ronda's music hit. Message delivered, Zelina started leading her client out of the ring.

"Ronda Rousey is available for Team Raw!" Coach shouted. "Becky Lynch has gotten what she wanted, but can she make it work?"

Becky was shown with a happy, but thoughtful expression on her face, pondering the same question that Cole put out there. "But how will the captain make it work? Team Raw can only have five women. For Rousey to be added, someone's going to have to step down or be kicked out. Who is it going to be?"


	33. Chapter 33

_Monday Night Raw – October 29th 2018_

After a video package to recap the events at the end of the Lynch and D'Agostino vs Logan and Morgan tag team match on the previous week's Raw episode, the commentary team were shown standing with their backs to their table, ready to give a piece to camera.

"Guys, while there's no doubt that Zelina Vega declaring Ronda Rousey eligible for selection for Team Raw is a very good thing, there are still several questions remaining unanswered," Cole said.

Clementine nodded. "That's right. Possibly the biggest of those questions is what is Raw captain Becky Lynch going to do now that Ronda is available for selection? General manager Kurt Angle already selected five women for the team, and we learned earlier today via a tweet he sent out that if Becky wants the team reorganising, she's going to have to work it out herself. Kurt handed all responsibility over to her."

"I'm looking forward to seeing how she goes about it," Coach said. "Maybe we'll find out at some point tonight. But first, hopefully we can get an answer to another burning question: Why did Zelina Vega have an abrupt change of heart, bringing Rousey out last week to decimate Team Smackdown before announcing her availability for Raw's Survivor Series team?"

"Over to our broadcast colleague Renee Young, who is standing by with Zelina Vega," Clementine said.

The shot changed to show Renee standing in front of a locker room door with Ronda Rousey's name on it. Beside Renee was Zelina, who looked to be in a noticeably less objectionable mood than usual.

"Thank you for your time, Zelina," Renee said politely. "I was hoping you could tell me the reason behind your change of heart last week, which led to you declaring your client Ronda Rousey available for selection for Team Raw?"

"Sure, I'll give you an answer," Zelina said. "It's really quite simple. While neither my client nor myself have much time or respect for anyone on Raw, the fact of the matter is we are signed to Raw. And that means we have even less time for people from Smackdown. Sonya Deville and her team wanted to come over here and try to make a statement in a Raw ring, and it occurred to me that was embarrassing for everyone on Raw, including me, and including The Arm Collector. And Renee, no one embarrasses The Arm Collector. The Arm Collector embarrasses other people, in the process of dismembering them. At Survivor Series, providing Becky Lynch adds Ronda to the Raw team, that is exactly what's going to happen. She is going to embarrass the Smackdown team. She is going to dismember the Smackdown team. She is going to lead Team Raw to victory." The final three sentences had been delivered without even a hint of doubt.

Renee nodded her appreciation of what she had heard as she turned back to face the camera. It obviously sounded good to her. "There you have it," she announced, bringing the interview to an end.

* * *

Later in the show, the five members of Team Raw were shown standing in a locker room, the four regular members all looking at Becky Lynch, their captain.

"Well, Becky, you got us to agree to you approaching Zelina about getting Ronda on the team, so now what?" Ruby asked impatiently.

"We now have six women and five spaces," Elena reminded her.

"Thank you, I know that," Becky said in an overly-patient manner. "The problem is a simple one: For Ronda to join the team, someone has to leave. I'm not going to pick someone to remove from the team as that simply wouldn't be fair. So, first of all, is anyone going to volunteer to step down and let Ronda take their place?"

There was no response from anyone. They all looked around at each other, no sign of capitulation on any of their faces.

"As I expected," Becky said after a moment. "I can't fault any of you for that, to be fair. If I was in your position, I wouldn't have volunteered either. That leaves us only one option. We're going to have to draw straws. I figured it would end up this way, so I came prepared." She moved her right hand from behind her back, revealing that she was holding five straws, all different colours. "You will all draw, and if I'm left with the short one, I'll have to captain the team from ringside at Survivor Series."

"I will go first, yes?" Elena said, reaching out to take a straw.

"Sure. Go ahead," Becky said.

Elena pulled out a dark blue straw, and they all looked at it. It didn't seem particularly long or short. "Is good or bad?" the Italian asked, using slightly the wrong English, as was often the case.

"Let's compare it to mine," Bayley said. She pulled out a yellow straw. Holding it next to Elena's, she found it was essentially the same size.

"Okay, I'll go next," Natalya said, eyeing up the three remaining straws. There was a black one, a white one and a red one. "Come on black, be good," she said. She pulled out the black straw and groaned. It was much shorter than the ones Elena and Bayley were holding.

"Sorry, Nattie," Becky said in a conciliatory tone. She opened her hand to confirm that the other two straws were indeed long ones.

"This sucks, but I guess I can't complain," Natalya sighed.

"Sorry, Nattie," Ruby said, before the others added their own commiserations.

"I guess I'd better go and tell Zelina that Ronda is on the team," Becky said, taking the straws back from her team and dropping them into a nearby trash can.

"No, I'll go," Natalya said.

"Are you sure?" Becky asked, noting the slightly worried looks from the other women. "I mean, we're good, right? I know this sucks that you lost your place…"

"We're good," Natalya interrupted. "Leave it to me, I'll go and tell Zelina for you." With that, she walked out of the shot, leaving the others to look at each other with some concern on their faces.

* * *

After a commercial break, Natalya was shown approaching the door to Ronda's locker room. She gave it a firm knock.

It only took a moment for Zelina to open the door. She was obviously forcing herself to be more polite than usual as she said, "Yes, Natalya?"

Natalya didn't look all that pleased with the news she had to pass on. "I wanted to let you know that we drew straws to determine who would give up their spot on the team for Ronda, and it was me. So, Ronda's on the team, and I'm off it."

"I see," Zelina said, with an expression that was as close as she was likely to get to compassion. She followed up with something that was obviously more of a concern to her than Natalya's feelings. "Are we going to have a problem at Survivor Series?"

"No," Natalya said icily.

"Because I don't want you coming out there all full of rage and trying to screw…"

"I said we're not going to have a problem," Natalya cut in abruptly. "So long as Team Raw win, we're cool. You understand what I'm saying?"

Zelina was presented with the chance to say that it sounded a lot like a threat, but she decided to let it go. "I understand exactly what you're saying. But don't worry, with The Arm Collector on the team, Raw will win. There's no other way."

Nodding slowly, Natalya turned and left, leaving Zelina with an expression very similar to the ones that had been on the faces back in the women's locker room.


	34. Chapter 34

_WWE Survivor Series 2018_

For the special battle of the brands pay-per-view event, a unique commentary team had been put together to represent both shows. Michael Cole had been given the main role of trying to call the action impartially. Meanwhile, Clementine was there in favour of Raw, with Corey Graves representing Smackdown.

"For the first time tonight, I think there's something the three of us can agree on," Cole said to his two colleagues after the video package to build up to the five on five women's match. "This really is going to be a war."

"No doubt it's is going to be a war," Clementine said. "And it's going to be a war that Raw wins. As we just saw, The Arm Collector, Ronda Rousey, is going to lead the Raw team. I just don't see what Smackdown have that can possibly counter that."

As she was finishing speaking, the Smackdown theme song began to play and the show's logo appeared on the big screen.

"I'll tell you what Team Smackdown have to counter Rousey," Graves fired back. "Exactly what you're seeing right here and now: They are a team. Look at them coming out here together, as a unit. Billie Kay, Asuka, Carmella, Charlotte, being led to the ring by the Smackdown Women's Champion Sonya Deville."

The five women made their way to the ring, all wearing blue Smackdown T-shirts. They very much looked like the unified force that Graves was portraying them as, all psyching each other up for the immense battle that was about to take place. Once they entered the ring, Sonya made a point of telling her team to go out onto the apron, saying that she was going to start the match.

"There you go, that's a real leader for you," Graves said. "Sonya Deville is going to start the match for team blue."

The Smackdown music faded out, quickly being replaced by the Raw theme. The familiar logo appeared on the bed big screen.

"Oh, what do we have here, Corey?" Clementine took pleasure in asking. "Looks like Raw are a team after all. Becky Lynch is leading Elena, Bayley, Ruby and Ronda out here. Even Zelina is with them."

The Raw women, including Vega, also had matching T-shirts on, in red. Even so, they were not exactly projecting the same level of unity that Smackdown had. Ronda and Zelina in particular didn't seem to receive any interaction from their teammates as they trailed along at the back of the group.

When the team entered the ring, with Sonya waiting for them, Becky took the unsurprising decision that she should be the one to start for Raw.

"It looks like we're going to begin with the two captains," Cole said as the two women eyed each other up, both looking determined to make a good start to the contest.

Once the rest of Team Raw were out on the apron, with Zelina at ringside, the referee called for the bell, drawing a cheer from the crowd. Sonya and Becky walked forward and locked up with each other.

"And we're underway!" Clementine called.

* * *

Twenty five minutes later, it was once again Becky and Sonya in the ring. By then, Sonya was the only one left representing Smackdown, with Becky and Ronda left for Raw. Ronda's addition to the team had certainly proven to be a good decision. She had eliminated Carmella, Asuka and Billie Kay, all via submission to the armbar.

"Oh, what a kick to the head!" Graves cried as Sonya hit her finisher on Becky, bringing the Smackdown fans in the crowd to their feet. Deville's second elimination of the match was at hand.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Becky Lynch is gone!" Cole called. "It's down to Deville and Rousey to decide who wins this absolutely crucial point for their brand!"

Ronda had become legal the second Sonya got the three count on Becky. Wasting no time, she entered the ring and ran at Deville, catching her with a savage clothesline just as she finished getting back to her feet. It was the start of five minutes of back and forth action, with both women giving everything they had for their teams. As always, Zelina was right behind Ronda. Whether that was merely in support of her client, or because she actually wanted Raw to win wasn't entirely clear.

A fairly loud chant of "Ronda!" got going after Sonya had spent a couple of minutes in the ascendency, surprising everyone with the way she was able to beat Rousey down. She had the almost unbeatable Raw Women's Champion struggling.

It came as a shock to everyone when Sonya launched herself into the air, grabbed Ronda's arm and rolled to the mat with her in a cross armbreaker, before locking in an armbar. There was a collective cry of shock from the crowd.

"Armbar!" Cole yelled. "Sonya Deville has an armbar locked in on Ronda Rousey!"

"What a way to win this would be!" Graves cried in delight. "Imagine if Sonya makes The Arm Collector tap out to an armbar?"

"I don't think that's going to happen," Clementine said smugly.

Ronda didn't even seem to be experiencing much pain in the normally devastating submission hold. She was using her free arm to aid her in crawling backwards towards the ropes, dragging Sonya with her in an incredible feat of strength. Zelina was right there by the ropes, yelling encouragement at her client as she stretched out her hand, trying to grasp the bottom rope for safety.

"Can Ronda reach… Yes!" Clementine shouted. "Rousey reached the ropes. Now the referee must call for a break."

The referee only reached a count of two before Sonya relinquished the armbar, slapping the mat hard a couple of times in frustration. She had a much bigger problem on her hands than the fact that the submission attempt hadn't worked. Ronda was up even quicker than her, and had a look on her face that stood a fair chance of killing someone on the spot.

"I think all that armbar did was piss Ronda off," Clementine said.

"And that's not good if you're Sonya Deville," Cole added.

Revitalised, Ronda set about ragging Sonya around the ring like a dog playing with a toy, throwing her from pillar to post in all manner of unconventional but impactful ways. Most of the crowd were roaring her on, simply loving the level of raw violence they were witnessing.

"Ronda Rousey has exploded here!" Cole called. "Sonya Deville doesn't even know where she is!"

With her opponent struggling to even get to her feet, Ronda began to theatrically limber up, signalling that the end was at hand.

"Here we go!" Clementine yelled excitedly. "It's arm collecting time!"

All of sudden, there were cries of surprise from the crowd. Someone had jumped over the ringside barricade and grabbed Zelina from behind, going on to slam her shoulder first into the steel ring steps with a loud crash.

"What the hell? That's Sasha Banks!" Cole cried. "Sasha Banks attacking Zelina Vega! Why?"

Ronda's attention had been attracted by the disturbance on the outside. Once she saw her manager being attacked, she walked over to the ropes to confront Sasha.

"What, did you forget about me?" Sasha yelled angrily up at Ronda, spreading her arms wide.

In the background, Sonya was back on her feet. She saw that Ronda was distracted and rushed up behind her, rolling her up into a pinning combination.

"Wait a minute! No!" Clementine yelled.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Yes! Smackdown wins! Smackdown wins!" Graves shouted in delight.

"Deville pins Rousey, thanks to Sasha Banks!" Cole called, unable to hide his anger.

"What the hell was that?" Clem demanded. "Sasha Banks just cost her own brand the match!"

As soon as she had gotten the three count, Sonya had scurried from the ring, waiting until she was on the entrance ramp before celebrating her victory.

Stunned by the way she had been beaten, Ronda leapt back to her feet right after the three, chasing after the referee and remonstrating with him angrily, not that it was going to affect the outcome. All it actually did was allow Sasha the chance to rush into the ring from behind Ronda, run at her and hit her with a backstabber. The crowd were now booing her quite strongly, realising that they were witnessing a heel turn.

"Sasha Banks attacking Rousey now!" Cole called as Sasha started hammering away at the fallen Ronda with right hands. "What is this about?"

"Forget about me, did you, Ronda?" Sasha was screaming. "You think I'm going to sit in the locker room and watch you steal the spotlight?"

"Is that what this is about?" Clementine asked with real distaste. "Banks is bitter because she didn't get included on Team Raw? Bitter enough to cost them the match and beat down the woman who was about to win it for us?"

"Obviously I'm glad Smackdown won, but this is disgusting," Graves commented.

Having beaten Ronda down, Sasha slid out of the ring under the bottom rope. She lifted the ring apron and pulled out a steel chair.

"Come on, you've made your point, Sasha," Cole said.

Banks apparently disagreed. She went over to Ronda and started battering her legs with the chair. The crowd booed the reprehensible actions even more strongly. Before long, the chair was bent well out of shape. Still Sasha wasn't done.

"Banks dragging Rousey closer to the corner of the ring now," Cole said. "What's she going to do?"

Sasha opened the damaged chair and placed Ronda's right ankle through the gap between the back and the seat. Her intent was clear even before she started to climb up to the top rope.

"No! Don't do it! You'll break her ankle!" Clementine shouted.

Without so much as a moment of hesitation, Banks jumped into the air, landing on the chair with both feet. Ronda immediately started screaming in pain, clutching at her ankle.

"How about that, Arm Collector?" Sasha screamed aggressively. "I guess that makes me The Ankle Collector, huh?" With that and a glare at the women she had destroyed, her music began to play and she left the ring, a satisfied sneer on her face and boos raining down on her. As she made her way up the entrance ramp, several medical personnel came running in the opposite direction, bringing a stretcher with them.

Zelina had just managed to get up after her heavy impact into the steps. Seeing her client down and injured, she hurried into the ring to do what she could to help, starting by throwing the ruined chair out of the ring. With that done, she crouched down next to Ronda, trying to comfort her while the medics started the process of assessing potential injuries.

"This doesn't like good at all," Clementine said quietly as Sasha's music stopped playing, leaving only a stunned silence from the crowd. "They're putting some kind of brace on Ronda's ankle. I hate to say it, but I think it is broken."

It took the supposed paramedics a couple of minutes to get Ronda's ankle into the specialised brace and move her onto the stretcher for transport out of the ring. The whole time, Zelina crouched beside her client, looking devastated by what had happened.

"Regardless of what you think of Ronda Rousey, this is a sad sight to see," Cole said as she was manoeuvred out of the ring. She had her hands over her face, selling the agony from her injury. A ripple of applause went around the arena from fans who seemed unsure about whether they should be feeling sympathy for Ronda or not.

The final words of the segment went to Clementine, who wasn't entirely faking her sadness. After all, Ronda, her best friend, was really going to be away for a lengthy period to film a movie. "Who knows when we're going to see Ronda Rousey again?" she said.

The stretcher was wheeled up the side of entrance ramp, with Zelina walking behind, carrying the Raw Women's Championship belt. They went through a curtain to the back, where Dean was waiting for his girl, along with Bayley, Ronda's good friend and travel partner. Sasha was notable by her absence, but that didn't really surprise Ronda. As soon as she was out of the public eye, Ronda sat up on the stretcher and the faux paramedics started removing the ankle brace for her.

"Great job, darlin'," Dean said, walking over and giving Ronda a peck on the lips. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine," she smiled.

"You sold it really well," Bayley said in her usual enthusiastic way.

"Thanks, Bay," Ronda said, accepting the hug that was offered to her.

"It's really interesting the way they wrote it," Zelina said. "They could just as easily bring us back face or heel based on what happened tonight. Some of them were applauding you."

"Yeah, I heard," Ronda said with another smile. "Even so, I think we'll come back heel. It makes the most sense for The Arm Collector."

"So long as it is we," Zelina said with a bit of a grimace. "I hope they don't break us up over this."

"No, Hunter already told me they won't be doing that," Ronda informed her. "Sorry, I thought I told you that."

Zelina chuckled. "No, you didn't. But at least it's good news."

"I still think it's kind of surprising that they put the belt on you with this in mind," Bayley said. "Now it's going to be a couple of months with no women's title on Raw."

Ronda considered that for a moment. "True. Hunter did mention that. He was talking about the thirty days to defend rule, and he said they only really write that when they feel like it. Look at Lesnar, for example."

"Still, it is a weird decision. Oh well, not our problem," Zelina said with a shrug. "Come on, Bay, let's leave Ronda and Dean to it."

"Thanks, guys," Ronda said. The ankle brace had now been removed, allowing her to get off the stretcher and walk into Dean's arms.

He gave her another kiss as he embraced her. "I'd call that a pretty successful first run in WWE," he proclaimed proudly. "Stole the show at Wrestlemania, won the Money in the Bank, went on a wrecking spree through the Raw roster and won the Women's Championship."

"And found myself an amazing man," Ronda added to bring the list of accomplishments to an end.

Dean gave her one of his borderline arrogant smiles that he knew she liked. "And that, obviously."

"The best part is, I don't have to leave you behind for two months. Well, not all the time."

He kissed her again. "No, you don't. The time off will fly by faster than you think, anyway."

Ronda nodded. "I'm sure it will. Since they like to book me like some kind of Terminator, I guess there's something I have to say." She put on her best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice and said, "I'll be back."

END


End file.
